L3 Love and Obsession
by miss37
Summary: Sequel to "Happy New Year" As Mac is captive to Ella, Jo and the others are trying to figure out what happened to him and where he is. Once he escapes from Ella, he and Jo have a conflict and Mac goes away for the weekend only to find himself being stalked by a murderer. Can the others get to him in time?
1. Chapter 1

Mac Taylor woke up in a room that looked to him like a hospital room with white walls but he was lying on a bed with a canopy on it and he thought it must be a feather bed because it was comfortable. However, he was in a straight jacket so he was anything but comfortable. There was a dresser in the room with a big mirror and a closet. There was even a door open that led into a bathroom. There was a ceiling fan spinning slowly on the ceiling and the floor was carpeted with red thick carpet. There were also two big windows in the room. Mac could see that it was night outside. He wondered where he was and what they thought they were going to do to him.

Mac pulled at the straight jacket but it was tight. He had learned how to escape from a straight jacket in the Marines but that was a long time ago and he had been much younger and much more limber. However, he pulled at the straight jacket, trying to maneuver his arms so that he could bring them over his head but it was too tight. He knew it would take some time for him to work his way out of this.

As Mac was trying to loosen the straight jacket up, he walked over to one of the windows and looked out. He stopped what he was doing as he looked down upon the lawn outside. It was winter so there was no one outside but he could see stone tables out there with benches and several large trees that would give them shade in the summer. There was also a sidewalk that provided a path around the entire complex. Mac thought this had to be a place where a lot of people were kept. He started to pull at the straight jacket again as he was wondering where he was and how long he had been there. What kind of game was Ella playing? She had kidnapped him when he came to a flower shop that she was running. She had been sending him anonymous flowers and notes and he did not know it until he went to the flower shop and saw the lion symbol on the card.

Just as Mac thought that, the door opened and Ella McBride came in. "What do you think you're doing?" Mac exploded. "Let me out of this!"

"Just calm down, Mac," Ella said. "I know you're going to have to have some time to get used to this but you'll come around."

"Are you out of your mind? I am not going to get used to this! You have me here against my will!"

"Now, Darling, everything will be okay. You're just upset. Once you get some food, you'll feel better."

Mac was furious. "Don't you talk to me like I agreed to this!" he exclaimed. "I will not be your puppet!"

"You're just recovering from your injury and you have some memory loss. You just need some time to remember everything that we have meant to each other."

Mac could not believe what he was hearing. "Are you crazy? You can't brainwash me!"

"Nobody is trying to brainwash you. You've been through a terrible ordeal and you are recovering."

"Then why am I in this straight jacket?"

"Because you were trying to hurt yourself. You broke out the window over there and you cut your arms. We had to do something to keep you from hurting yourself."

Mac stared at her a moment. "Do you really expect me to believe that?" he asked. "You let me out of here! You can't keep me in here!"

"I am keeping you here for your own good. Don't fight it. You will be happy here."

Mac pulled at the straight jacket, desperate now. He wanted out of here. Ella had lost her mind. He backed against the wall as she came toward him. "You stay away from me!" Mac said.

"Don't be afraid of me," Ella said. "I love you. You don't have to worry about me hurting you."

Mac moved away from her as she came closer to him. "You can't do this to me," he said. "Let me go or you'll wind up in prison with your mother!"

"You would never send me to prison," Ella soothed. "You're too much in love with me to do that."

"I am not in love with you!"

"Well, the doctor said that you would not remember a lot of things after your accident."

"What accident? I have not been in any accident!"

"You were in a car wreck. Don't you remember?"

"All I remember is you kidnapping me! You dragged me from your shop and put me in your van. Then you transferred me to a car and brought me here."

"Oh, you were just confused. You were in an ambulance and they brought you to the hospital and then you were sent here."

"How long have I been here?"

"A month."

Mac frowned. He knew he could not have been here a month. He did not think he had even been here a day. He shook his head. "No! You're lying to me," he said. "Just stay away from me."

"Do we always have to tranquilize you to do something for you?" Ella asked. She pressed a button on the wall. "By the way, if you need anything, you can press that button."

Mac stared at her a moment. He knew she had to be lying about the time. He did not remember being here at all except…no, he would not let her confuse him. She was trying to manipulate him into believing that he had forgotten things.

Mac heard a loud buzz and two nurses came into the room. He knew he was trapped now. "Please, let me go, Ella," he said. "You don't treat people this way when you love them."

"You do when it's for their own good," Ella replied.

Mac backed away as the two nurses came toward him. The nurses were men and they were strong enough to make Mac do what Ella wanted him to do. Mac struggled as they grabbed him but they got him onto the bed. "NO!" Mac yelled as he saw Ella coming toward him with another syringe. "You can't do this!"

"Yes I can," Ella replied.

Mac struggled so much that they had to bring in more nurses. Even with the straight jacket on, he was hard to control. "NO!" Mac yelled as they were about to get the best of him. They finally got him where he could not move and Ella gave him the shot. Mac did not know what they gave him but he suddenly felt relaxed.

"There now, that's better," Ella said.

"Don't do this to me," Mac said groggily.

"You're going to be alright, Darling. Don't be afraid."

Mac could do nothing as they took the straight jacket off him and started an IV in his arm. He just watched helplessly, knowing that he might lose himself. He thought that was what Ella's intention was. She wanted to possess him and she was trying to override his mind. "Mac Taylor, badge number eight-four-three-three," he said. "Mac Taylor, badge…"

"Now, stop that," Ella said. "We'll have none of that."

Mac kept on saying that over and over. He even began saying his license number. "I love Jo Danville. I work in the New York Crime Lab."

"Stop that."

"I love Jo Danville," Mac said. Then he grimaced in pain as a horrible headache attacked him.

"Don't resist," Ella said.

"I love Jo Danville!" Mac said. He began repeating that.

Ella was starting to get angry. "Stop saying that," she said. She gave him more of the drug. "You're going to listen to me. I am the one who knows everything about you."

Mac shook his head slightly. "Mac Taylor, badge number…" He almost yelled out with pain.

"What was that you said?" Ella asked.

Mac felt like he was in a dream but he kept trying to repeat what he had been saying in his mind. He kept hearing other things that seemed to come from another place and time and it was someone else's voice. The voice was soft and alluring and he felt as though he wanted to listen to it but he knew it was wrong…

Jo came in to the office the next morning almost in a panic. She could not believe they still had no clue as to where Mac was. She had tossed and turned all night worrying about him. She had missed him and she had sat on the couch and drank coffee, watched TV, took a hot bath. She had called Danny several times but they had not found anything yet. They had been reading Ella McBride's novel all night trying to find something in it that would lead them to where she may have taken Mac. Don Flack had also finally found George Grimes. Grimes had not been willing to surrender however, and was brought back in a body bag.

As Jo walked into the lab she looked toward Mac's empty office. She could not stand the thought of what might be happening to him. She remembered the nights they had spent together and how he had told her he loved her. What could this Ella McBride do to him? Jo went on into the lab where Danny was still reading the novel. He yawned as he looked up at Jo.

"Morning," Danny said.

"Morning," Jo replied. "Have you found anything at all?"

"Nothing yet. It's…well, it's a pretty graphic novel. It's mostly about what she wants to do to Mac and what she wants him to do to her…if you know what I mean."

Jo stared at him with her mouth open for a moment. "That's what she wrote about?" she asked.

Danny nodded. "I have to tell you that I have not enjoyed reading it either," he said. "We don't have any other clues though."

"Does she describe the place?" Jo asked.

Danny gave Jo the pages that he had already read. "You can take a gander at it yourself," he said and stood up. "I am totally drained. I have to get some sleep."

"Go ahead. I'll get into this."

Just then, Lindsey walked in. "Morning," she said and kissed Danny. "You find anything?"

"No," Danny replied. "I have to get some sleep. I'll be back in after I get a few hours."

"Okay."

Lindsey and Jo went into the conference room. Sheldon was still in there. "Morning," he said.

"Have you found anything?" Jo asked.

Sheldon blew out a breath. "It's mostly obsession," he said. "I have never read anything like this. She tells that she may have to persuade him to accept her love but that she knows he loves her deep down inside."

"Does she say how she is going to persuade him?"

"She says something about 'doctoring' him and 'nursing' him until he can see the love they have for each other. She mentions a lot about that. I'm thinking that she may try to drug him or something like that."

Jo thought her heart would turn upside down. Now that she had finally gotten Mac to trust her, she did not want someone to turn his life upside down again and ruin their life together. She read some of the novel and was almost sick. She hated the thought that Ella was going to try to force Mac into doing something that he would give to her freely out of love. Jo knew he loved her and she knew he would never betray that willingly. She wanted to find him and get him away from this woman who was so desperate that she would do something like this to him.

Lindsey read some of the novel as well. After a few pages, she did not think she wanted to read anymore. Sheldon was still reading further into the novel. "Hey, look at this," he said. "She says 'We'll lounge together under the giant oaks among the people who understand until he is well and then I will take him to my castle and take care of him for the rest of his life. He will not have to worry about anyone trying to convince him that he is living a lie or that he should be somewhere else. I will have his children and we will live happily ever after'." Sheldon looked at Lindsey and Jo. "It's almost like a fairy tale."

"It 'is' a fairy tale," Jo declared. "If she thinks she can manipulate Mac like that, she's crazy."

"I would say that she probably is." Sheldon scowled as he looked at the paragraph he just read. "'Under the giant oaks'. Maybe she's describing the place she has Mac now."

"'Among the people who understand'," Lindsey quoted. "What does that mean?"

"What does she mean by 'castle'?" Jo wondered.

"The people who understand," Sheldon said thoughtfully. "If she intends to manipulate him or brainwash him, she may have him at some sort of hospital."

"How would she keep him at a hospital?" Jo asked.

"Maybe she knows someone there who will help her. Maybe they're helping her keep him there and giving him drugs and making the rest of the hospital think he's a real patient."

"He doesn't have much time," Jo said, wanting to burst into tears. Her Mac could be gone and it would not take much time. "We have to find him."

"We will," Lindsey assured her.

Mac still felt like he was in a dream. He could hear his own breathing but he could hear someone talking to him and he felt like they were talking inside his brain. What was that he had been saying? He could not remember. What was that she had said? He was in love with someone. He remembered love. What was her name? Jo. He loved Jo.

Mac opened his eyes slightly. He felt as though he was trapped in his own body…or outside his body. He was not sure at the moment. He could not move and he felt like he did not know himself. He could still hear that annoying voice talking to him but it did not sound like a real person talking. It sounded like a recording that played the same thing over and over. Then he felt that horrible headache again. He almost cried out but he did not have the strength.

"You love me, Ella McBride," the voice said. "You love no one else…" And it continued to repeat that over and over.

"No," Mac said. "I love Jo Danville." He shuddered as the headache seemed to grow worse. What was happening to him? He was not sure where he was anymore or what was happening. "My name is Mac Taylor, I…" He cried out with the pain this time.

Jo's phone rang as she was still reading that disgusting novel. "Hello," she answered.

"Jo, we just found Ella's van from her flower shop," Don said. "It looks like she traded vehicles right here."

"We'll be there soon," Jo replied. She hurried into the lab as she was putting her phone away. "They found the van."

Lindsey and Sheldon lay down the part of the novel that they were reading and grabbed their coats. Lindsey got a forensics kit and Sheldon got the camera. They went to the location of the van. It was sitting in a public parking lot down by the harbor. "We don't need to miss anything," Jo said. "There could be something in there that will lead us to Mac."

They wrapped the car up and carried it back to the lab and then went over it with careful eyes. They found hair in the back and analyzed it to find that it was Mac's. Of course, they found a long, blonde hair that belonged to Ella. They also found some brochures in the glove compartment. They were about luxury resorts and vacations in the mountains. "Do you think she took Mac to one of these places?" Lindsey asked.

"How could she take him there and no one get suspicious?" Sheldon asked. "She may have just left these here to throw us off her trail."

"Is she that manipulative?" Jo asked.

"Yes," Lindsey replied. "She gave Mac false evidence in a case that time and she only did it to get close to him and she even followed him one night when he was at the store."

"And he hasn't heard from her in all this time until now?"

"Not that I know of. If he has, he hasn't said anything, but you know how Mac keeps things to himself."

"Yes, I do know. I wonder what he does with things that he gets from people."

"I have no idea."

Jo looked toward Mac's office. She wondered if he kept it in a file. She supposed he might have a place in his apartment that he kept things but she would not want to go snooping through his apartment. She had not even spent the night there yet. She frowned with that thought. She thought she might never get the chance if they did not hurry and find Mac.

They studied the brochures along with the paragraph that Sheldon had read from the novel. "She says 'under the oaks'," Sheldon said. He looked at the brochures. "There's a resort here that prides itself on its Oak trees."

"Then I guess that is where we should start," Jo said.

They got the folder together and made sure they had a picture of Ella and Mac in the folder. "Sheldon, you keep studying that novel and see if you can figure out anything else," Jo said.

"What do you think she means when she said 'among the people who understand'?" Sheldon asked.

"I have no idea."

Jo and Lindsey headed for the elevator. Don was coming out as they were going that way. "Anything yet?" he asked.

"We have a slight lead," Jo said. "It's worth a look."

"I'm coming with you."

They went down to the Avalanche and went out to the Oak Tree Resort. "Definitely some big Oak trees," Lindsey remarked as they neared the place.

"I don't see anyone outside," Jo said.

"It's too cold."

They went into the office of the resort. Don walked up to the reception desk and showed them his badge. "We need to talk to the manager of this place," he said.

"Just a moment," the woman said.

Don looked at Jo and Lindsey. "You really think they will tell you if they've seen them?" he asked.

"I don't know," Jo replied. "But I'm going to try and figure out if they're lying."

Soon, a man came from the back. He was very tall and slim and wore glasses and had thinning hair. "Yes?" he said. "You wanted to speak to me?"

"Yes," Jo replied. She showed him her badge. "We need to know if you have seen these two people." She showed him the pictures of Mac and Ella.

The man looked at the pictures through his spectacles. "No, I have not seen this man, but I have definitely seen that woman," he said.

"When did you see her?"

The man thought about that. "About two days ago. She was wanting to know what our rates were and how long someone could stay here."

"Did she get a place?"

"No. She said she wanted something more private."

"Did she say anything else?"

"No."

"Did you notice what kind of vehicle she was driving?"

"It was a gray car. I think it was a Lincoln. Anyway, it was a big car."

Don wrote that down. "Had you ever seen her before?" he asked.

"No," the man said.

"Thanks," Jo said.

Don, Jo and Lindsey went back outside. "Now what?" Don asked.

"You said Ella was in a halfway house and in therapy," Jo said. "Where was this at? Maybe we can ask her therapist about what she said in therapy."

"They won't tell you," Don said. "Unless you get a judge's order."

"Then that's what we'll have to do. This is Mac's life we're talking about."

"That was at least three years ago," Lindsey pointed out. "Isn't there a limit as to how long they can keep those files?"

"I doubt it," Don said. "They probably keep those forever in case the person ever has to come back."

"I still want to know where she was and who she was seeing," Jo said.

They went back to the lab and had Adam look up the information they needed. Jo was determined that she would find Mac. He did not deserve to be in captivity and she was going to get him out.


	2. Chapter 2

Mac was still trying to resist what Ella was trying to do to his mind. She had him cuffed to the bed now with his arms stretched out and they had his head in a harness attached to the bed rail as well. Mac thought he would die. He could not move at all but he was not cold. Ella had covered him up with the covers on the bed. He was dressed in blue pajamas. The IV was still in his arm and she came in some of the time to talk to him again. He was trying to keep his mind but some of the time he felt confused. He thought they were giving him a hypnotic drug. He tried to think of something else while they were trying to brainwash him but it was getting harder all the time.

Just then, Ella came into the room again. Mac swallowed hard. She came over to the bed and leaned over him. "Are you feeling better?" she asked.

Mac thought that was a stupid question. "No, I'm not feeling better," he growled.

"Do you remember what we had together now?"

Mac thought he would explode. "NO!" he said as loudly as he could. "I don't love you! I love Jo!"

Ella got on the bed and leaned over him. "If I can't have you, no one can," she said. "You'll either accept me or I will kill you. I won't enjoy that." She touched his face.

Mac wanted to pull away from her but he could not. "Get away from me," he said.

"You'll change your mind. Wouldn't you rather love me than to die?"

Mac glared at her. "No, I wouldn't. You can't make me love you! You can play with my mind all you want but you can't make me love you!"

"Then maybe I'll kill the woman you think you love right in front of you."

Mac stared at her a moment. "You wouldn't! What's happened to you?"

"You were messing up my plans. I saw you going over to her apartment and spending the night."

Mac was getting angrier by the minute. "You've been watching me?" he asked.

"Of course. I wanted to know how you were doing. I saw you going out with her and everything. Then you didn't even see me when I was in the deli that day you were there with her."

Mac could not believe what he was hearing. "I don't want to see you. I tried to help you."

"Yeah, but you stopped talking to me."

"I didn't know where you were anymore and I figured you had moved on with life."

"I have moved on and now I have what I wanted. You'll stay here whether you like it or not and no one is going to find you."

Mac had to admit, he thought it would be impossible for them to find him here…wherever here was. He had not been able to keep up with the directions they were going because he was out of it part of the time and it had been a long trip. He knew he was in some sort of compound or hospital and he knew Ella had people helping her. He did not think she could convince these people that he had been in an accident. He thought they were in on the kidnapping and knew everything that was going on.

Jo and the others were at the mental hospital where Ella had been in therapy. "He has been kidnapped," Jo said as she gave the warrant to the doctor who conducted Ella's therapy. "We need those transcripts from her sessions, especially any where she talked about Detective Taylor. Maybe it can give us some sort of clue as to where she is now."

"She talked about him quite a bit," the doctor said. "I don't like giving transcripts of my patients' sessions to the police. I am supposed to be trustworthy."

"This could be a matter of life or death."

"I don't think Ella would kill anyone and I find it hard to believe that she would kidnap Detective Taylor. Her talk about him was more like hero worship."

"We'll be the judge of that."

The doctor gave them the transcripts since they had a warrant from a judge. Then they went back to the office. Jo parked in front of the precinct and got out. Just as they were about to go into the precinct, a woman came up to Jo. "He's in danger, isn't he?" the woman asked.

Jo stared at her. "What?" she asked.

"Something terrible has happened."

"Are you the psychic who talked to Mac?"

"Yes, I am. I gave him a warning."

"I want to talk to you."

Don, Danny and Lindsey followed them into the precinct. Jo took the woman up to her office while the others took the transcripts to the conference room to study them. "I want to know what you can tell me," Jo said. "Can you help me find Mac? He's been kidnapped."

"I know. He doesn't have much time," the woman said.

Jo's heart jumped in her at those words. "What do you mean?"

"She'll kill him. It may be by accident or intentional but she will kill him if you don't find him soon."

"How do you know this?"

"I don't know. I just know it."

"Do you know where he is?"

The woman shook her head. "Somewhere with big oak trees and stone tables with benches."

Jo had never believed in psychics but she would do anything to find Mac. "What would help you see more?" she asked.

"Maybe if I had something of his," the woman answered.

Jo took her to Mac's office. "This is his office," she said. "This is the bouquet that he received from that woman."

The psychic looked at the bouquet and the card. "I can't tell you anymore," she said. "I know that you better find him soon or he is going to be killed."

Jo felt desperate. She wanted to find him and get him out of this situation. "Can't you just try," she said. "I don't expect you to tell me everything but can't you just try?"

The woman looked at Jo. "You love him, don't you?" she asked.

"Yes I do and he loves me. We were just developing our relationship."

"You were close?"

"Absolutely."

The woman took Jo's hands in hers and closed her eyes. Jo just stared at her hoping that she could tell her something…

Danny, Don and Lindsey were in the conference room. "Does she really think a psychic can find Mac?" Danny asked.

"I guess she is willing to try anything," Lindsey replied.

"I never have believed in that kind of stuff," Don said as he was looking over a transcript.

"I've wondered about it. I guess if someone is lost that you love and someone claims to be able to find them, you would want to at least try.  
"Yeah, but isn't it a waste of time if they're wrong? And chances are: they are wrong."

"But if they're right, they could save someone's life."

"Wow, she said a lot about Mac," Danny remarked as he was reading. "Didn't that doctor think it was odd that she would be talking about him this much? I mean look at what all she says here."

Lindsey leaned over Danny's arm and looked at the transcript. "She actually told him that she wanted to take Mac away and marry him?" Lindsey said surprised. "Why didn't this doctor think that was a problem?"

"Probably didn't take it seriously," Don replied. "Probably just thought she was talking out of a fantasy."

"But that should have been grounds to keep her there."

"I would think so," Danny said. "How can they think she was sane enough to be out in society if she was talking like that?"

"Probably just wanted to get rid of her."

"I thought they were supposed to help people not try to get rid of them."

"Maybe they don't have so much money for funding."

"Well, whatever it is, we have to figure out where Mac is," Don said.

Jo was still talking to Julia, the psychic. "He's in pain," Julia said. "He can't escape." She looked at Jo. "He's losing hope."

Jo stared at her wondering how she could know all that. "How do you know?" she asked.

"I just feel it."

"And you say the place has big oak trees?"

"Yes. They're beautiful in the summer. That's what this woman is thinking. She has been at this place before."

"What kind of place is it?"

"I don't know, but it's a place that she would have been staying there for some time."

Jo could not imagine what kind of place it would be. "Is it a resort?" she asked.

"I'm not sure but it is some place that she enjoyed and a place that's secret."

"Secret?"

"Yes. She can keep him there and no one knows he's not supposed to be there."

Jo could not believe what she was hearing. "How do you know this?" she asked.

Julia looked at her. "I don't know but I saw Detective Taylor on the TV one night and I had a nightmare about him after that. Something awful is going to happen to him. I couldn't just let it go. I had to warn him." Julia sat down on the couch. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure it's death."

Jo frowned. It was already almost Noon and they were no closer to finding Mac. "Maybe if you saw the van she was transporting him in you could get something from that," she said.

"I would be glad to try," Julia replied.

Mac was staring at the ceiling or at least he was trying to. Ella was talking to him again and he felt like he was in a dream again. He was seeing images before his eyes and he did not know where they were coming from. Could they be memories? Had he been unconscious for that long? Had he been dreaming? NO! He did not dream his love for Jo. He pulled at the cuffs but they were immovable. "Stop!" he yelled. "You can't change me!"

Ella put more of the drug into the IV even with the disapproval of the nurse. "You could kill him," the nurse said.

"He has a strong mind," Ella said. "If he won't give in, he's going to die anyway."

The nurse watched as Ella put more of the drug into the IV and listened to Mac scream. She did not want to be any part of murder and she knew that's what it would be if Mac died. And not only murder…but murder of a police officer…the head of the crime lab! She would have to do something about this before Ella killed him. Kidnapping was one thing but murder was another.

Mac screamed as he was bombarded by a severe headache which made it hard for him to resist the programming that they were trying to encroach on him. He could do nothing to resist looking at the images because they had his eyes held open. He was still cuffed to the bed and his head was still braced. He felt himself drifting as though he were in a dream. He felt so tired…

Jo went into the conference room where Don, Danny and Lindsey were still studying the transcripts along with the novel. They looked at her and she did not look like she had heard anything she wanted to hear. "Did you find out anything?" Don asked.

"Just that Mac doesn't have much time," Jo said. "She says that she is not sure it's death. What else could she mean?"

"This doctor used hypnosis on her," Lindsey pointed out. "You think she would try that on Mac?"

"She's liable to try anything," Danny declared.

"How would she know how to do that?" Jo wondered out loud.

"She has to have someone else helping her. There's no way she can do all this alone."

"Well, how can she afford to pay all these people to help her?"

"She inherited a lot of money when her father died. Maybe she's using it for this."

Jo leaned on the table and rubbed her face. She had not slept much last night. She could not sleep knowing Mac was out there somewhere being held captive by a maniac. "Did she inherit a house or anything like that?" she asked.

"I don't think so," Lindsey replied.

Jo could not stand these 'I don't knows' anymore. She wanted some answers. There had to be something that could help them find Mac and get him out of there.

Mac was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling since that was about all he could do since he could not move his head. His back felt like one big sore because he had been lying on it since he had been here. He was not sure how long it had been. He knew it had been at least one night because he could see that it was day outside again. His arms felt like they were almost detached from his body and his legs tried to cramp. He tried to move his legs some of the time since they were not tied to the bed. He was starting to feel claustrophobic but he was trying to fight that. He knew if he panicked in here he could really hurt himself.

Mac woke up later as Ella came into the room again. He started breathing faster feeling like he would panic. She had been trying to brainwash him but he would not give in. "Don't panic," Ella soothed. She walked over to the bed. "Do you think I want to hurt you?"

Mac balled up his fists. "Get away from me," he said.

"That's no way to talk to the woman you're going to spend the rest of your life with."

Mac wanted to yell and scream but he did not. "I do not love you!" he said.

"Yes you do. You just forgot."

"No I didn't!"

Ella leaned over the bed and stared into Mac's eyes. "You will either love me or I will kill her," she said in a warning voice. "Then you won't have anything to go back to."

Mac thought he would explode. "You leave her alone!"

"Then you better start talking better to me."

Mac glared at her. "You can't make someone love you! Don't you understand that?"

"It will just take time. Your memories will come back." Ella stroked his hair.

Mac wanted to push her off the bed but he could not move. "How long do you think you can keep me in this bed?" he asked.

"Are you hungry?" Ella asked.

Mac was not sure if he was hungry or not. "Just go away and leave me alone."

"I'll feed you."

Ella loosened the head harness and removed it. Mac did not think he had ever felt so relieved. He thought he would fall asleep now. "Let me go, Ella," he said.

"Why would I want to do that?"

"If you love me like you say you do, you would let me go."

"Well, now that just might be your logic but it doesn't make sense to me. If you love someone, you don't want to let them go."

"But sometimes you have to if they don't return that love."

"Just stop talking. You don't want to run away."

Mac watched as she uncuffed his right hand and then his left. He stared at her as he was thinking of what all he could do to get out of there. She put a shot in his IV. "That should keep you calmed down," she said.

Mac glared at her and reached for the IV and Ella did not seem to care that he was pulling it out. He pulled the IV out and got off the bed on the other side from Ella. His legs had to get used to the idea of holding him up again and his other muscles did not feel very appreciative of being moved after being still that long. Mac stumbled but he leaned on the wall and just then the drug she gave him kicked in. He felt like his head was spinning. He supposed that was why she was not worried about what he was doing. She knew he could not escape. He shook his head trying to clear it as he looked around the room. There was an electronic lock on that door with an alarm and he could not get out that way. He remembered the bathroom and he started moving that way. He looked at Ella who was changing the bed. He thought she did not seem worried at all about him being loose. He finally made it to the bathroom and closed the door. He had not been to the bathroom since he had been here that he could remember and he knew it now that he was up.

When he was done with that, he looked in the mirror. He had a lot of stubble now and he looked stoned even to himself. He wondered what she had given him. He felt shaky and weak. He leaned on the bathroom door and looked around the room. There was one air vent in the room but it was way too small for anyone to crawl into. The bathroom was fixed with antique fixtures. He leaned on the door and closed his eyes as he was feeling some of the effects of that drug. It made him feel like his arms were made of jelly. He realized blood had run down his arm where he pulled the IV out. He turned the water on and washed it off and dried it with the hand towel.

Just then, Ella knocked on the door. Mac was startled. He leaned on the door. "Are you coming out?" she asked.

"No!" Mac said. "Go away!"

"You can take a bath if you want. Do you need any help?"

Mac glared at the door. "No!"

"Just don't take too long."

Mac looked at the door but there was no lock on it. He felt the door knob turning in his hand. He pushed on the door as Ella tried to open it. "NO!" he yelled.

"You're going to come out of there," Ella declared. "If you don't do it peacefully, we'll get you out ourselves."

"Leave me alone!"

"It's just a matter of time before you start remembering the happy times we had together."

"That is a lie!" Mac yelled. "I have never loved you! You just couldn't accept that!"

Ella pushed on the door and Mac pushed back. He did not have much strength but she could not overpower him. "Okay, if you want to be that way," Ella said.

"You won't get me back in there without a fight!" Mac declared.

"Oh come now. You don't want to get violent, do you?"

"I am not going to be brainwashed!"

"No one is trying to brainwash you. We're trying to help you remember."

"That is a lie!" Mac yelled. He leaned on the door. He knew it was a lie. They would not brainwash him into believing a lie! He wanted out of here. He was afraid he might lose himself if he had to stay here too long. He had already been confused at times but he remembered Jo. He loved her. He had spent the night with her and he did not do that just on a whim.

Mac realized it was quiet out in the room. He opened the door slowly and found that Ella was not in the room. She had changed the bed and it had blue sheets on it now. He went over to the window and looked out. There was a chair sitting close to the window. Mac picked it up and broke the window out. He was dizzy as he looked down and realized he was on the third floor of this house…or building. He was not sure where he was but he thought it looked like a big house. He swallowed hard as he climbed up on the window sill. He thought he would rather be injured or dead than to be here being brainwashed and he might just survive the fall. Could he get away if he jumped out this window? If he injured himself badly, he might be in worse trouble than he was now. He had heard of people escaping this way and they survived.

Mac stared at the ground, and just then he heard the door beep. Someone was coming. He had to make his decision now…


	3. Chapter 3

As Mac looked down at the ground, he remembered when he fell from that balcony. He knew he could have died that time if Don had not been there and gotten help for him quickly. However, he was above the ground now, not a cement floor. The cold wind was cutting through the pajamas he was wearing like they were not even there and he was also barefooted.

Mac looked back toward that door as he saw it opening. He looked down at the ground. "God help me," he said and then he was falling.

Adam came into the conference room where Jo and the others were still looking for some clue in the novel and the transcripts. "Anything?" he asked.

"Some strange transcripts," Lindsey replied.

"I thought I would help."

Adam sat down at the table. "She was telling this therapist how she wanted to take Mac to this place and make him her own," Jo pointed out. "Could he not see that she was mentally ill?"

"It looks like he would have been able to see that she was obsessed," Lindsey said. "She seems to get more deranged with each session."

"How do these people get these jobs?"

As they went on through the transcripts, they found that Ella had talked about a place with big Oak trees and a place with a stream where they could fish and be at peace. "Well, obviously the hospital where she was is not the place that she took Mac," Jo pointed out. "If she had been talking about that place, the therapist would have known it."

Don rubbed his eyes. "I have looked at this until my eyes feel like they are going to pop out," he remarked.

"It's starting to look like a black and white blur," Danny said.

Jo leaned on her hand. "I know we need to take a break," she said. "But Mac could be in real danger."

Lindsey looked at Jo. "I don't think she wants to kill him," she said. "If she wanted to do that, I think she would have done it at the flower shop."

"But what is she putting him through?"

They had all been wondering that. They knew what insane people could do because they did not think rationally. They thought of what they wanted to happen and that someone was standing in their way of getting that accomplished.

"Let's take a break and eat," Jo said.

Jo got up and left the conference room but she took the stack of transcripts with her. She was going to study them while she ate. She could not believe they had no leads as to where Mac was. Her phone rang as she was sitting down to a table in the lounge. "Hello," she answered.

"Detective Danville?"

"Yes. Who is this?"

"I would rather not tell you my name. I am in a lot of danger even calling you."

"Why?"

"Because I know where Detective Taylor is."

Jo set her cup of coffee down so hard some of it sloshed out on the table. "What?"

"He's being held at…"

"Hello!" Jo exclaimed. "Hello!" She looked at her phone and the call had ended. "NO!" She ran to the computer room. Adam would have to be able to trace that call.

Mac landed on the ground on his side but the ground was very soft because of all the rain that had fallen in the last few months. It had been a wet winter instead of a freezing one. However, the weather was turning colder now. He rolled across the ground and lay there a moment trying to get his bearings back. His head was spinning even more now and the breath was knocked completely out of him. He knew he had to get up though. He looked up toward the window where Ella was leaning out staring down at him. "He's escaped!" she yelled back at the others.

Mac got up and started running. He did not know where he would go but he would not be captured again if he could help it. He ran around the corner of the building and headed toward the back where there were some large trees and stone tables. He could see that high wall around the place and he thought it would be impossible to get over that. There was a forest further out past the Oaks. He ran for that as he heard an alarm start sounding in the house.

Mac finally reached the forest and began looking for a place he could hide. He was freezing but he kept going hoping that he could get out of here and get help before he got frost bite. The forest beyond the Oaks was mostly Pines and some Sweet Gums, which Mac found out fast when he stepped on some of their burs with his bare feet. He kept going, however and tried to avoid those things. He knew he was not camouflaged at all in these pajamas since they were bright blue but at least they were not white or red.

Soon, Mac came to the wall that enclosed the compound. It was overgrown with vines and moss here in the shade of the forest. It was all of 8 feet tall and there was no way he could reach the top without climbing. He looked up at some of the trees around there. None of them were very sturdy and he did not think they would support his weight.

"He must have gone out into the woods!" someone yelled.

Mac gasped. He thought that sounded close. He looked around him but he did not see any place to go. He ran along the wall trying to avoid hurting his feet in the underbrush. He finally came to a clearing where there was one of those tables that were out under the Oaks, but this one looked like it had not been used in a very long time. It was overgrown with moss and slimy lichens. But what Mac noticed the most was the manhole that was close to it and it was almost covered up with leaves and vines. Mac could not believe it and he did not know if he wanted to go down in there with his bare feet but if he did not, they could find him. He lifted the manhole cover, trying not to disturb the vines and everything too much so that when he let it back down, maybe they would cover it back up and Ella and the others would not notice it too much when they arrived. He was sure they would find this place. Thankfully, they would not see any footprints because of all the underbrush.

Mac looked down into the darkness of the sewer. He swallowed hard thinking of what all could be down there…and he had no shoes on. He looked up as he heard something. He was glad there was a ladder down there. He climbed down into the sewer and let the cover down slowly. He looked down below him and could see nothing but darkness. He was trying to control his nerves. He had always hated snakes and bugs and did not want them crawling on him. He could just imagine what all was down in there but he had to stop imagining and go on.

Mac climbed down the ladder and lifted it off the hooks that held it so that the others would have a harder time getting down there. He was standing in water. He tried not to think of all the leeches that could be waiting to suck his blood in this cold damp place…but then again, they might not be active in the cold. He began walking through the cold water. He was starting to shiver as he was getting colder now. He folded his arms and kept walking. His toes were numb now and his feet were starting to get that way too. He wanted to get out of this cold water but he could not see a thing. He hoped the tunnel he was going through was not a dead end…

Jo was standing at the computer while Adam was trying to determine where the last call to Jo's cell phone came from. "It came from a cell phone," Adam said, trying to calm Jo down a little. It always made him nervous when someone was pacing back and forth.

"Just hurry, Adam," Jo said.

Adam was trying to triangulate the location of the phone that made the call. He finally found the signal. "They're moving," he said.

Jo leaned over the table and looked at the computer screen. "Keep a track on them," she said and headed for the conference room.

Don and the others were still studying the files. "We have a track on the phone that just called me," Jo announced. She explained the situation to them.

Don got up and headed for the elevator, along with Danny. "Let us know if they change directions!" Don said.

"I'm going with you!" Jo informed him and grabbed her coat.

Don, Danny and Jo went to the elevator and down to Don's car and the Avalanche. Adam sent the data for the phone location to their cars and they headed that way with sirens blasting. "That woman was going to tell me where Mac was!" Jo declared. "She got interrupted."

"She could be dead," Danny said.

They were soon getting outside the city and the cell phone was not traveling anymore. "Looks like we're about to find it," Don said.

When they arrived, they found a car sitting in a bunch of bushes. They got out and walked slowly to the car with their weapons drawn. They did not see anyone in the car, but they were being cautious anyway. "Someone in the front seat," Don said, when he could see. "Put your hand up!" he yelled.

They moved closer and realized the person was not moving at all. Don got up to the car and realized the woman was dead. "She's dead," he told Jo and Danny.

Don opened the door. The woman had been shot in the head. "Looks like a nurse," Danny remarked noticing the woman's uniform.

"Nurses don't always dress like that anymore," Jo said. "She must work somewhere that it is still required."

Don called in the situation while Danny took pictures of the body and everything. "We need to take this car back to the lab and see what we can find in it," Jo said.

By the time the car was back at the lab, it was getting dark. Jo was trying not to feel despair. The last thing Mac needed was for them to lose hope. They examined the car thoroughly and collected everything that could lead them to where the car had been and who was in it. They found some hair in the front seat and some in the back seat as well. When they analyzed them, they found that the hair in the back seat belonged to Mac and there was a long blonde hair in the front seat that belonged to Ella.

"This must be the car she switched to from the van," Don said.

Jo looked out the window at the dark sky. "He's out there somewhere," she said. "We have to find him."

Mac thought he was freezing to death. He was so cold he was shivering and his teeth were chattering. There was nothing for him to use for warmth and he was still walking in that cold water. His feet felt like bricks on his legs. He soon came to another manhole so he climbed up to it to see where he was. He thought maybe if he got out of that cold water, he would be better off. When he got out, he saw lights at a farm house. He thought maybe he could get some help there. He was beginning to wonder if he would make it out there.

As Mac neared the farm house, he could see a light in the window and could smell wood smoke. He thought it would be very warm in there. He remembered being in front of that wood stove in his grandfather's house and in front of the fireplace in his parents' house. He hoped they would help him. He finally made it to the front door and knocked.

Mac soon heard footsteps behind the door and then he heard the lock. An old man was at the door. "Yes?" he said.

Mac was bombarded by the warmth from inside the house and the fragrances of food cooking. "I need help," he said. He was hoarse from being so cold and he thought he must look a sight.

The man stared at him a moment and then a woman came up beside him. She gasped when she saw Mac. "Oh my heavens!" the woman said.

Mac thought he would pass out. "Please help me," he said.

"Get him in here, Henry," the woman said.

"Now, you can't trust people like you used to anymore, Mother," the man said.

"He looks like he's half frozen, Papa, now get him in here."

Mac had not heard people call each other that in many years. His grandfather and grandmother did, though. The man got Mac by the arm and led him into the house. Mac stumbled as he got inside. "Oh my word, look at his feet," the woman said. She looked at Mac. "I will fix that right up."

They led Mac into another room and helped him get onto the bed. Mac was shivering terribly now. He was asleep soon after he laid down…


	4. Chapter 4

Mac woke up feeling toasty warm and comfortable. He could smell wood smoke and he thought he could smell a tobacco pipe too. He dreamed that he was at his grandparents' house in one of his grandmother's feather beds. He had spent the night with them many times and helped his grandfather on the farm. He remembered how happy he had felt when he was at their house. They always had something for him to do and to fulfill his curiosity.

As Mac woke up the next time, he opened his eyes. It was morning and he could hear chickens clucking. For a moment, he thought he was on his grandparents' farm. He had been dreaming about it but he was not a little boy. He remembered how he got here now. He had escaped from Ella. Mac sat up as he thought about that. He smelled something wonderful and his stomach growled.

Just then, someone came into the room. Mac remembered the old woman whom he had met last night. "How are you feeling this morning?" she asked.

"Better," Mac replied. "Thank you for helping me."

"You are welcome. Can you tell me how you got here?"

Mac thought about that. "I escaped from someone who was holding me captive," he said. "My name is Mac Taylor. I'm the head of the crime lab in New York. I need to use your phone."

The woman stared at him a moment. "How did this happen?" she asked.

"It's a long story, Ma'am," Mac said. "I really need to use your phone."

"Of course. Just let me check your feet."

Mac had not realized that his feet were wrapped. He was still dressed in the pajamas so he pulled the covers back and let the woman check his feet. She unwrapped them and Mac realized she had some sort of ointment on them and an herb. "They look much better," she said. "I was afraid you would lose some of those toes. I guess we warmed you up soon enough."

"I really do thank you," Mac said.

"I'll bring you some breakfast."

"Can I ask your name?"

"My name is Milly…that's short for Emily."

Mac got back under the covers as Milly left the room. He shivered because even though it was warm in the house, he was still cold. He knew he had to contact Jo and let her know where he was and that he was safe.

Soon, Milly came back with a tray of breakfast. Mac sat up and stared at it. He had not had such a breakfast in years. His mouth watered as he stared at the biscuits, eggs, bacon and everything else that went with it. He looked at Milly. "That looks delicious," he said.

"You can have all you want," Milly said.

"I'm sure this will be quite enough but I still need to make that phone call."

"I'll bring the phone to you."

Mac looked at the tray of food. He hardly knew where to begin but he just started with a sip of the coffee. It tasted wonderful and he thought the orange juice tasted fresh squeezed. Milly came back in with a cordless phone. "If you need anything else, just let us know," she said.

"Thanks," Mac replied. "I need to know the address here." He took the phone and dialed Jo's number after Milly wrote the address down for him…

Jo was lying over on her desk asleep when her phone rang. She had not even gone home last night. She had sent Ellie to stay with Lindsey so she could monitor the situation all night, but they had not found anything else that would lead them to Mac. She looked at her phone and saw that it was a number she had not seen before. "Hello," she answered.

Mac heard the tiredness in her voice and it made his heart ache. "Jo," he said.

Jo stood up. She thought she was just anxious but that sounded like Mac's voice. "Who is this?" she asked.

"Jo, it's me."

Jo thought she would burst into tears and collapse. "Mac?"

"Yes."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at a farm house." Mac told her the address. "I can't wait to see you again."

Jo hardly knew what to say. "I love you, Mac."

"I love you too. I know that more now than I did before."

"I'll be there to get you as soon as I can get there. I want to know what happened."

"I'll tell you the whole story."

Jo did not want to end the call but she knew she would see him soon. "We're going to spend a day together," she said.

"I agree," Mac replied.

"I'll be there soon."

"I'll be waiting for you…and uhm, can you go to my locker and get my extra clothes for me?"

"Absolutely. Do you need anything else?"

"Your arms around me?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. I'm going to wrap you up and hold you all night."

"I look forward to it."

Jo reluctantly ended the call and ran to the computer lab where Danny and Adam were still studying transcripts. "I know where he is!" she exclaimed.

Danny and Adam stood up. "Where?" Danny asked. "How?"

"He called! He escaped! Let's go! I'll explain when we get on the road!"

Danny and Jo went downstairs where Don was at his desk. He yawned and then saw them coming toward his desk and he thought they looked like they had found out something. Don stood up. "You got something?" he asked.

"We know where he is!" Jo said. "Come on!"

Don followed them outside and they got on their way…

Mac finished the breakfast that Milly had fixed for him and then Henry came into the room with some clothes. "I thought you might need something to wear," he said. "These might be a little big on you but they'll be better than nothing."

"I have someone coming with some clothes," Mac said. "I sure appreciate everything you and your wife have done for me."

"How did you get in this situation?"

"I was kidnapped by a woman who was obsessed with me. She was holding me captive over there in some place. I don't know where I was. It has a high wall around it."

Henry considered that a moment. "That old McBride house?" he asked. "I used to know Homer McBride. He died years ago of pneumonia. He had a son and a daughter."

"McBride? The woman who kidnapped me is a McBride. Must be his granddaughter."

"Probably." Henry looked at Mac. "And she kidnapped you?"

"Yes. I escaped yesterday…or at least I think it was yesterday."

"It was last night you arrived here."

Mac looked at the clothes. "I supposed I could wear these until I get my others."

"You can try those shoes and see if they're the right size."

"Thanks."

Henry left the room and Mac got up and went into the bathroom. His feet felt sore but they were not feeling numb anymore. He used the bathroom and put on the clothes. While he was sitting on the bed putting on the shoes, he heard someone knocking on the front door. He finished tying the shoes and went to the bedroom door, thinking that Jo was there. However, he heard Ella talking to Henry.

"Have you seen a man out here wearing pajamas?" Ella asked. "He escaped from the mental hospital out there. He's very dangerous to himself and other people. He is very confused."

Mac waited to see what Henry would say. "We don't get many visitors out here," Henry said. "We don't see many people around here."

"And you haven't seen anyone around here?"

"I guess I would remember it if I saw a man out here wandering around in his pajamas."

"Well, if you see him, we need to know. Like I said, he's very confused and dangerous to himself and others."

"Well we'll be careful. Thanks for the warning."

Henry closed the door and looked at Milly. Mac opened the bedroom door and walked out. "I'm sorry for bringing this on you," he said.

"Was that her?" Henry asked.

Mac nodded. "Yes. We're going to try to help her."

Just then, the front door swung open. Mac whirled around to see Ella and two of her helpers. "So, you are here," she said.

Mac glared at her. "You better stop this now, Ella," he warned. "My team is already on their way here."

Ella had a gun with her. She aimed it at Henry and Milly. "You leave them out of this!" Mac said.

"Then come with me," Ella said.

Mac frowned. He knew she would hurt these people if he did not get out of here. "Alright," he said. "I'll go with you, but you're going to leave them alone. They don't know anything."

"Come here."

Mac walked over to Ella. She smiled at him. "How did you disappear like you did?" she asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Mac asked.

Ella's smile turned into a frown. "You won't escape again." She pushed Mac toward the door and then looked toward Henry and Milly.

Mac realized she was about to shoot them. "NO!" he yelled and grabbed her hands.

The bullet from the gun went into the ceiling. Ella was stronger than Mac would have thought and then the other two joined in the fight. However, Henry got his shotgun and aimed it at them. "Stop right now!" he demanded.

The two nurses put their hands up and Mac got the gun from Ella. However, she was not ready to give up. She kneed Mac in the groin. Mac thought he would collapse, but he stopped her from slapping him. "Stop it!" he yelled as he grabbed both her arms.

Ella stomped Mac's foot with her heel. Mac grabbed her and shoved her into a chair. Ella was not ready to give up however. She tried to kick Mac and then jumped up to come at him again. Mac struggled with her as she tried to push him into the wall. He could not believe her strength as she screamed trying to overpower him. "Give up!" Mac said.

"I'll never give up on you! We were meant to be together!"

Mac could not believe what he was hearing. "I'm old enough to be your father!" he said.

"I don't care!"

Just then, Mac heard something outside. Ella tried to get away from him then. She knew she was caught now. Mac shoved her back down in the chair. "Stop right now," he said and pointed the gun at her.

"You wouldn't shoot me!" Ella said and stood up. "Go ahead and shoot me."

Mac frowned. "Just stop."

Jo came running in the door, along with Don and Danny. "Police!" Don said. The first thing he noticed was Henry holding that shotgun. "Drop it!"

"Don, he's on our side," Mac said. "Those two nurses are the criminals." He grabbed Ella by the arm and turned her toward Don and Danny. "And this one!" He pushed her toward them.

Don put cuffs on Ella. "Come on, you," he said.

Danny put cuffs on the other two and they carried them all out to Don's car.

Jo and Mac stared at each other a moment. Jo ran to Mac and they embraced each other. "I was afraid I wouldn't see you again," Jo said.

"Me too," Mac replied. He looked at her and then kissed her. "You helped me through this."

Jo stared at him a moment. "I did?"

"I'll tell you later."

They turned toward Henry and Milly. "Thanks for your help," Mac said and shook Henry's hand. "I'm sorry about this."

"I'm just glad we could help you," Milly said as she shook Mac's hand. She looked at Jo. "I guess this is your lady."

"Yes," Mac said. "This is Jo."

"Well, I wish you a happy life together." Milly looked at Henry. "As happy as ours has been."

"Thank you," Jo said. "And thank you for helping Mac."

Mac and Jo turned toward the door. Mac leaned on the door facing as Don and Danny came to the door. "Are you okay?" Don asked. "Do you need any medical care?"

Mac shook his head. "I'm alright now," he said. "I'll tell you about everything when we get to the office."

"I brought your clothes," Jo said.

"I guess I should put them on and return these before we leave."

Mac changed clothes and then they all went back to the office. As he sat in the interrogation room and told Don his story, Jo sat beside him and held his hand and by the time he was done, she was leaning on his shoulder. Mac did not care who knew about their relationship anymore. He loved Jo and everyone might as well know it. It was going to last a long time.


	5. Chapter 5

When Mac was done at the office, he and Jo left together. Danny and Lindsey were watching as they got into the elevator. "Well, I knew it was bound to happen," Danny said.

"What?" Lindsey asked.

"That Mac would finally find someone that could tie him down."

"You think that's what it is?"

"Yeah. I think they're in love and I don't think he's ever going to try to get away from that one."

"I think you're right." Lindsey looked at Danny. "Is that what I've done to you? I've tied you down?"

Danny looked at her. "Absolutely, and I don't want to get loose either."

Lindsey smiled. "You really have a way with words."

"Good, cause for a minute there I thought you didn't like what I said."

"Well, for a minute there, I didn't, but you wormed your way out just fine."

Danny snickered at that comment. "Okay, so I get to sleep in the bedroom?"

"Don't you always?" Lindsey smiled at him over her shoulder as she walked back into the lab.

Mac and Jo went down and got into Jo's car. Mac sighed as he leaned back on the seat. "It's good to relax," he said.

"Are you very tired?" Jo asked.

"I am but I rested at that house. It was very comfortable."

"I'll take you home and nurse you back to health."

"I may need it."

They smiled at each other a moment and then Jo cranked the car and they headed for Mac's apartment. "It was you who helped me through that," Mac said.

"How did I do that?" Jo asked.

"I kept thinking of how much I love you. I knew I loved you and she couldn't break that. That was one thing that really made her mad." Mac looked at her. "Your love stayed with me."

Jo thought she would cry. She did not cry very often, but she felt like it now. "I was certainly thinking about you," she said. "I couldn't stand the thought of not knowing where you were and what was happening to you."

"She even threatened you because she couldn't make me give in. I don't know why she let me loose in that room and just left me. I think she thought there was no way that I could get out or that the drug she gave me would keep me from figuring it out. I don't think I got all of it because I pulled the IV out, but I think she was just trying to manipulate me and it didn't work. I broke out that window and jumped out."

"I can't believe you jumped out that third story window." Jo looked at him. "The others are going to go to that house and get evidence."

Mac nodded. "They'll find plenty, I guess unless they cleaned it out before they came after me, but I don't think they did. Because they intended to take me back there. If it hadn't been for that manhole, I don't know whether I would have escaped or not."

"I'm just glad it was there."

They soon arrived at Mac's apartment and went inside. Mac sighed. He was glad to be home. He hung his coat up and looked at Jo. "I need to take a shower," he said.

"I'll fix you something to eat while you're doing that. I'm sure you are hungry."

"Well…"

"Don't argue. I am going to fix something wonderful if I have to go to the store."

Mac watched Jo walk to the kitchen and then he went to his room thinking of that big breakfast he had that morning. He was not sure he could eat yet. He sighed as he thought of the ordeal he had been through. He had thought he would never escape that but here he was. He went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. He definitely needed to shave. He did that and then got into the shower. He stood under the water a moment just letting the warmth soothe him. He remembered that saying 'There's no place like home'. That was certainly true. No matter where one went, it was good to go home and to do things in one's own home.

Jo did go down to the store and bought some ingredients for the meal she wanted to make for them. She got it all started and then went to the door of Mac's room. She could hear the shower running so she knew he was still in there. She leaned on the door facing hoping that eventually they would be together all the time.

Mac was just standing under the water letting it pour over him. It was hot and felt good. It seemed to make his muscles relax. He had been tense for too long. He wanted a vacation.

Jo went back into the kitchen to check on the food that was simmering now. She lifted the lids and smelled as the steam came billowing out. "Oh, that smells so good," she said to herself. She was ready to eat and hoped Mac would love it. She was cooking him a Southern meal this time. It was one of those meals that could bring one's energy back.

Mac sat down on the bed after he got his jeans on and then he heard a soft knock at the door. "Come in," he said.

"I hope I'm not barging in," Jo said.

"No, you're not. I'm almost ready."

"Dinner is almost ready."

"It sure smells good." Mac thought she must be cooking a meal like Milly would have fixed.

"It will cure you right up."

Mac smiled. "I'm sure it will." He looked at Jo. "I want to talk about something."

"Well, that sounds serious," Jo remarked. "Can we talk about it over dinner?"

Mac nodded. "I'm sure we can."

When Mac was ready, they went into the kitchen and fixed a plate and sat down at the table. "So, what are you wanting to talk about?" Jo asked.

Mac looked down at his plate and then at Jo. "About us," he said.

Jo looked at him. "What about us?"

"I really realized how much I love you and I want us to…" Mac stirred his food in his plate, not sure of what he wanted to say.

"You want us to what?"

"I don't want us to be apart, Jo."

"What do you mean?"

Mac laid his fork down. "I mean I want us to be together all the time," he said.

Jo stared at him a moment. "What do you mean? Like marriage?"

Mac nodded. "Yes, I want us to always be together and I want us to belong to each other."

Jo took a bite of her food. "There goes that 'belong' again," she said and looked at Mac. "I don't belong to anyone."

Mac looked at her. "I said, we would belong to each other," he said. "Isn't that what you want?"

"Are you going to expect me to take your last name?"

Mac considered that. "Well, I don't guess I would 'expect' you to, but I…" Mac looked at her with a puzzled look. "Do you have that much trouble with commitment?"

Jo laid her fork down and looked at Mac. "I don't have any trouble with commitment," she informed him. "I just don't like that word 'belong'."

They stared at each other a moment. "So, what are we doing together if we're never going to commit to anything?" Mac asked.

"Do we have to be committed like that to have something together?" Jo asked.

"I like to have some hope of it."

"We can have a beautiful relationship and enjoy each other." Jo touched his hand. "That is if you want it to go further."

"So, you don't want anything from me but sex?"

"Is that all you want from me?"

"Of course not. I just told you what I want."

"So, if you can't have what you want, you just don't want anything at all?"

"I didn't say that, but I would like to have a little hope of something in the future. There's more to life than sex after all."

"What else is there to marriage? You men don't want anything else."

Mac stared at her a moment. "Are you serious? I'll have you know that I want a lot more than that. I want somebody to come home to every night and talk to."

"Or someone to cook your meals for you and tend to the children and clean your apartment…a built in maid that just happens to sleep with you too, right?"

"You know better than that!"

"How should I know better?"

Mac could not believe what he was hearing. "So, because your ex-husband was like that, you think I am too? I had a happy marriage, for your information. My wife was happy with me and I didn't try to control what she did. We worked together and made each other happy."

"And you think you would be a perfect husband?"

Mac stared at her a moment. "No, I don't think I would be a perfect husband but I would be as good as I could be." Mac leaned on the table. "What is this all about? Are you afraid of getting married again?"

Jo considered that. "Yes, I guess I am. I don't want another marriage to turn out like the first one where we don't do anything but argue and fight and we wind up getting divorced and we're alone again."

Mac sighed. "Jo, that doesn't always happen," he said. "You have to work on a marriage. Sometimes you have to compromise about things."

"I didn't want to compromise and he didn't either."

"Sometimes you have to compromise a little."

"Not me."

"What has that got to do with me? I would never want you to quit your job. I like working with you."

"But what if we decided to adopt a child?"

"Jo, I don't want to raise a child at my age."

"But what if I wanted another one?"

Mac frowned. "Are you wanting our relationship to be over? Did I do something to offend you?"

"No, you didn't do anything." Jo looked at him. "Maybe that's the problem. You don't do anything."

Mac did not know what she meant by that. "Are you acting this way because I haven't crossed the line with you yet?"

"Crossed the line? Is this something bad to you?"

"It's something serious to me."

"And you think I'm frivolous?"

"Maybe you are. I don't think you want anything serious with anyone. I think you're afraid and can't get out of your past. I'm trying to get out of mine. Did I say something that would make you think I would be demanding?"

"I know how you like to be in control."

"Is that what you think? After all the times you've told me to go home and get some rest and practically shoved me away from a crime scene and made me go get something to eat? What is this about? Are you afraid of commitment?"

"Maybe I am."

"Well, I'm not. And I didn't mean that I wanted to get married today. I'm just telling you that I want our relationship to go further in the right way."

Mac leaned back in his chair. "Now, I have to think about this a moment," he said. "At first, it was you who was accusing me of being afraid of relationships and telling me that I was lost in my work and I needed a life. Now that I am trying to have a relationship with you, you're the one who is falling back away from it."

"Are you saying that I pressured you into this?"

Mac stared at her a moment. "Didn't you?"

Jo sighed. "I guess I did," she said. "Why are we arguing anyway?"

"I don't know. All I was saying was that I wanted our relationship to be more and you don't want anything but sex out of it."

"I didn't mean that, Mac. I have to admit, it makes me nervous to think of getting married again."

"We have plenty of time to think about that, Jo." Mac reached across the table.

Jo looked at his hand and then put hers in his. "I'm sorry, Mac."

"Don't be afraid of me, Jo. I would never hurt you and I'm not going to leave you because you don't want to quit your job. I would never try to make you do that."

"I know that. I guess I just had to get rid of a little tension."

"I just think we need to hold off until we figure out whether this is right for both of us or not."

"I agree."

They started eating again. "Well, I guess that was a pretty good second fight," Jo remarked.

"Second?" Mac asked.

"Yeah. We've already argued once."

"Well, I guess that means we can work out our differences."

"It seems like we always fight over whether we want to keep going with this or not. I think we're both afraid."

"I was at the start, but I'm not now," Mac said.

Jo looked into his eyes and saw that sweet, compassionate look of love there. "I won't be afraid anymore," she said. "I want to follow this wherever it leads."

"Good."

Jo took another bite. "There's one thing," she said. "You could come this weekend and see Tyler while he's home from college."

Mac looked at her. "What are we going to be doing?" he asked.

"Oh, you can have dinner with us and we'll let them know about our relationship."

"Probably a good idea. No need to keep it a secret."

"I agree. I just want Tyler to meet you and see what he thinks of you with his mother and you can get to know Ellie better."

Mac nodded. "I suppose," he said. "When do you want me there?"

"Well, I suppose I will have to spend one day with them alone. You come over Saturday and I will spend Sunday with them."

"Sure. So what will we do Saturday?"

"We'll go out for lunch and then have dinner at home."

"Sounds like a plan."

"This is a new relationship and I just want to get them used to it and let Tyler see what he thinks."

"What about Ellie?"

"Well, she's a girl."

"Oh," Mac said with a smile. "I get it now."

"Tyler might think a little more about it than Ellie…and not only is he a boy, but he's older too."

"So, how's he doing in college?"

"He's doing great. I'm so proud of him. And Ellie is doing wonderful in school. I'm just a proud mother."

"I'm sure you are."

Jo looked at Mac. "I'm sure they're going to like you, Mac," she said. "They'll like having a man around and Ellie needs a dad."

Mac had never thought of himself as a dad. "I wouldn't know where to start," he said.

"Well, it's something that you have to just take one day at a time. You never know what to expect."

"I think I've seen a little of that."

"That time Ellie was on the subway trying to go and find her real mother. Oh, I couldn't believe it. I didn't even know she was thinking about her real mother."

"I guess kids don't always tell everything."

"No, they don't. Sometimes we have to just wait and see what they do so we'll know how to help them."

"I hope I can live up to their expectations and yours."

"You will do fine living up to mine," Jo said. "Tyler and Ellie might be a different story."

"And what if they don't like me?" Mac asked.

"Well, I guess they'll have to get over it because I'm not letting you go."

"For a while there, I was beginning to wonder."

"I'm sorry about that, Mac. I was just venting some frustration, I think."

"That's okay. I guess you listened to mine before."

"Yes, I have listened to plenty of yours."

"Hey, now, I haven't been that bad, have I?"

"No, you've been pretty good."

When they were done eating, they cleaned up the kitchen and then went into the living room. "I have to be home by six," Jo said as they were sitting on the couch.

Mac hugged her to him. "I could get used to this," he said.

Jo looked at him. "Are we going into that again?"

Mac loosened his embrace and sighed. He thought he was going to get his heart broken again. He had thought Jo would want a mature relationship and want something that would last. Jo sat up and looked at him. She knew she was hurting him. "Mac, I don't want to talk about marriage," she said. "If we have to talk about that now, then maybe we shouldn't be together."

Mac frowned and looked out the window. "I can't believe this," he said.

"Can't believe what?"

"What do you want out of this relationship if we can't even talk about the future?"

"Why do we have to talk about marriage?"

Mac sat up and looked at her. "I'm not wanting to get married today," he declared. "I just want to know if that is something you will want in the future."

"I doubt it. I'm just going to be honest with you. I don't want to go down that road again. I like being free and not having to answer to anybody."

"So, you're just dating me to see if you can get sex?"

"No."

"What are we going to do? Date the rest of our lives?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"There's no commitment there. And what do you mean by 'answering to somebody'?"

"Well, when you're married, you have to have agreement about what you do. You can't just make your own decisions without talking to the other person."

"Jo, that's what marriage is about is having someone else to share everything with and make decisions together. It's supposed to make everything easier, not harder."

Jo leaned back. "I was so glad when I got away from Russ, Mac. You can't imagine. Your situation wasn't the same way. You lost your wife to maniacs; I divorced my husband because we couldn't get along."

"That doesn't mean you can never have love again. Jo, he's gone. Can't you give me a chance?"

"I don't know."

"I didn't get a chance before and now you don't want to give me a chance either."

Mac got up and walked over to the window. "I guess I'll just take this weekend to get some stuff done or I may go somewhere alone."

Jo walked over to him. "You mean you're not coming?" she asked.

"No. I guess we need a weekend apart to think things over." Mac looked at her. "I don't want to keep this up if we're never going to move forward."

"So, you think we need some time apart? You think that is going to make me want to get married again? We had some time apart while you were with Ella."

Mac felt like his heart was breaking. "Well, we're going to have the weekend too. I won't bother you. You're going to be spending time with your kids anyway," he said.

Jo folded her arms. "Okay, if that's how you want it," she said. She went to the coat rack and got her coat.

Mac walked over there and they looked at each other a moment. "I guess I'll see you at work Monday," he said.

"Sure," Jo replied. She wanted to kiss him good-bye, but she was not sure he wanted her to.

Mac touched her hair. He leaned over and kissed her lightly. "I'll miss you," he said.

Jo did not really know what to say to that. "I'll see you Monday."

"I guess it's a good thing we haven't crossed the threshold. We won't have any regrets if this is the end."

Mac closed the door after Jo went out. He leaned on the door and sighed. Why could he not find someone who wanted more than just a frivolous relationship? He could not believe he had fallen for this again. She must have thought he was desperate and thought she could seduce him. Mac was about to get angry instead of hurt. He turned and went to his room. He took his duffle bag from the closet and threw it on the bed. He got another shower and then packed up some stuff in the duffle bag. He would just leave for a while and she would not know where he was. He was tired of being treated like he had no feelings. Even if he acted like he had no feelings sometimes, he did. She could just wonder where he was because he would not be answering if she called.


	6. Chapter 6

Mac took his duffle bag and went down and got a cab to the car rental. He rented an SUV and headed out toward the mountains. It was cold but he did not care. He would be in a cabin with a fireplace. He would stay out there for the weekend and not have to "answer" to anybody. He rolled his eyes at that statement. What did she think he was? He thought she knew him better than that but apparently she had not been paying attention to anything he said or did.

Mac was tired of thinking about this situation. He turned some music on loud and tried to get his mind on that. He stopped and filled up the tank with gas, got a few groceries and then headed out of town. He had not been up to the mountains in a long time but he had a cabin up there. No one he worked with knew about it. They did not know as much about him as they thought they did. They thought he just sat there in his apartment all the time when he was not working he supposed. Well, they were wrong. He played music and he ran every day. On the occasion that he did take a day off, he took long drives into the country sometimes to clear his head. People did not usually think about "country" when they thought of New York, but the state had some countryside anyway.

As Mac got further out, he remembered that Henry and Milly lived out there. He drove to their house and knocked on the door. Milly opened the door. "Well, Detective Taylor, what a surprise," she said.

"I just wanted to stop by and thank you folks for helping me," Mac said. "I know I said thank you before but it was kinda rushed and I wanted you to know that I appreciate it."

"We were happy to help you. Won't you come in?"

Mac went in where Henry was sitting in his recliner beside the fireplace. "Well, hello there," Henry said and stood up to shake Mac's hand.

"I appreciate what you folks did for me," Mac said. "I'm sorry that I brought that trouble to you."

"It weren't much trouble atall," Henry said.

"You could have been hurt though and I'm sorry about that."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," Milly said. "Have a seat."

Mac sat down. "I can't stay long," he said. "I just wanted to stop by."

"Your lady's not with you?"

Mac frowned. "No. We're not married."

Mac realized it had been just yesterday when he and Jo had been here together. "You have a nice home here," he said, trying to change the subject.

"We've been living here for forty-five years," Milly said.

"Wow, that's great."

Mac wondered if he would ever have someone who would want to settle down and just live and grow old together. He liked the atmosphere in this house. It seemed like a place full of memories and love. "This place reminds me of my grandparents' home when I was a kid," he said. "When I woke up this morning, I was dreaming that I was at their house." Mac smiled. "For a moment I thought I was a kid again."

"Oh, I'm glad you were so comfortable here," Milly said.

"I remember the smell of wood smoke and tobacco pipes. They had a farm and I was a curious kid."

"Weren't we all?" Henry asked. "My Pa just might find me on the other side of the mountain when I was a kid. I was a wanderer and one day, I wandered over there and found Milly."

Milly laughed. "Oh, Henry, I had been there all your life. You just never paid attention."

"Well, I was paying attention that day." Henry looked at Mac. "She turned her nose up and stalked into the house and the next thing I knew, her Pa was coming out with a shot gun."

Mac could not help but laugh. "I take it he didn't approve of you," he said.

"Oh, he thought I was a wandering troublemaker, but when I saw Milly, I knew I was about to stop wandering."

"How old were you?"

"Oh, I was about fifteen and she was about fourteen. It took me a year to talk her into letting me court her. Imagine that."

Mac smiled. "And how long did it take you to get married?"

"About five months. She realized I wasn't so bad after all, and I think she had a little curiosity in her too."

"Oh, Henry, you just stop that talk," Milly said.

"Have you ever been married?" Henry asked.

Mac looked at him and his smile faded. "Yes, I have," he said. "She died a little over ten years ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"That's okay. I'm asking you guys questions and you don't even know me."

"Well, I like to talk and when somebody gives me a chance, I take it."

"Would you like to have supper with us?" Milly asked.

"I have to get going," Mac said. "But I'm sure it would be delicious."

"Oh, I am going to make a good one tonight."

Mac was sure tempted but he wanted to get up to his cabin before dark if he could. "I want to get up to my cabin before dark," he said.

"How far is it?" Henry asked.

"It's about two hours from here in the Catskills."

"Oh, it's real nice up there, but mighty cold this time of year."

"It has a good fireplace." Mac loved the coziness of this place. It made him sleepy.

"You sure you don't want to stay for supper?" Milly asked.

"I'm sure, Ma'am, but I appreciate you inviting me." Mac thought a moment. "I was wondering if you could tell me anything about that old McBride place out there."

"Well, there hasn't been much activity over there in years," Henry said. "I have seen people come and go from time to time and the gardener would come out there. I guess they were keeping the place up."

"And you never saw Ella?"

"No. Couldn't see much cause of that high wall. I just happened to see them coming and going some of the time. I saw the gardener out there once when I was on the roof here trying to put new shingles on where a storm blew some off."

Mac nodded. "Well, I better get going," he said. "I have to get up to the cabin."

Mac went to the door. "Again, I really thank you," he said.

"You come and visit again sometime when you have more time," Henry said. "Maybe you can help me a little and I could pay you."

"Oh, you wouldn't have to pay me. I would be glad to help. I'll see you folks."

Mac went out the door. He sighed as he went out to the SUV. He wanted something steady in his life. It seemed the only thing he could have like that was his job. It was the only constant thing in his life. He always knew when he went to the office, he could do his job and everyone expected him to do it. He was paid well for it and he had people there who respected him.

Mac turned his music up again and enjoyed the ride up to the Catskill Park entrance. The rest of the way he was going was a gravel road…and some of it was not even gravel, it was just dirt. Mac did not care, however. He loved being out in nature. He had not been up here in a very long time. Some of the trees had grown their limbs out over the road and it was totally shaded now. Mac could tell he was climbing as he went because it was getting colder.

When Mac arrived at the cabin, it was almost dark. He grabbed his duffle bag from the back seat and went inside. The cabin was very cold since no one had been here in a long time and it was dusty too. Mac took the dusk cloths off everything and threw them out on the porch and then he swept and built a fire in the fireplace. He went out to the SUV and got the blankets he had brought with him. He thought he would need all of them since it was so cold. There was a store not too far from here so he would go down there and get some food in the morning.

Mac lay down on the couch and stared at the fire. He remembered lying and watching the campfire when he was in the Marines. He thought about Claire a lot when he was lying there. He had missed her so much and he read her letters over and over. He still had those letters. He had gotten rid of most stuff that reminded him of her but he had a memory box where he kept things that meant a lot to him. He had not been into that box in several years but it was still there in his closet.

Mac finally fell asleep thinking about Jo and wishing that he could get through to her. He had thought she wanted that relationship to go further but now she was the one backing away. He wondered what had happened.

Mac woke up during the night with a nightmare. He had dreamed that he was still being held captive by Ella. He sat straight up on the couch. He looked around him and realized where he was. He heard the fire crackling and looked to see that it was burning low. He was still warm so he did not want to get up and put another log on. He just lay down and went back to sleep.

Mac woke up the next morning still feeling warm but he could feel that it was cold in the cabin. He got up and put two more logs on the fire and then got back under his blankets. He intended to be very lazy today. He dozed on the couch until he heard someone knock on the door. He sat up thinking he had been dreaming, but then he heard the knock again. He could not imagine who would be up here on this mountain knocking on his door.

Mac got up and rubbed his face and went to the door. "Who's there?" he asked.

"Juanita Carrigan."

Mac opened the door slightly. There was a young woman there who had dark brown hair and green eyes. "Can I help you?" Mac asked.

"I was on my way up to my cabin and my jeep got stuck in a ditch. Could you help me?"

Mac was not sure he wanted to trust that but he did not want to leave someone stranded. "Just a minute," he said. He closed the door and went to his duffle bag. He got his gun and put on his shoulder holster under his jacket.

Mac went back to the door. "Okay, how far is it?" he asked.

"Just down there," Juanita replied. "I'm sorry to bother you."

Mac followed her out to the road and sure enough, there was a red jeep off the side of the road. Mac stared at it a moment. "I think I might be able to pull that out with my SUV," he said. He hoped he did not damage it since it was rented. "How did you get off the side like that?"

"I got a little distracted by the lake," Juanita said.

"Well, it can happen."

"What's your name?"

"Mac Taylor."

"I haven't seen you up here before but I'm glad you're here now."

"I haven't been up here in quite a while."

"I'm in just the next cabin."

"I'll go and get my SUV. It has a winch on it and I think it can pull that out."

Mac went and cranked up the SUV which still had some frost on it but some of it had melted since the sun was out this morning. He drove the SUV over behind the jeep and hooked the winch up. He cranked the SUV and turned the winch on. It was a strain but it finally got the jeep out. Mac got out and unhooked the winch.

"I sure am glad you were here," Juanita said.

"I was glad to help," Mac replied.

Juanita smiled at him. "Maybe we can go hiking together. How long are you going to be here?"

"At least over the weekend."

"Well, maybe I'll drop by tomorrow."

Mac was not sure what to say. "Okay," he said. He went back to his cabin and sat there in the SUV for a moment. Was he giving up on his relationship with Jo altogether? He thought it was based on sex anyway. He did not want a relationship based on that. Was that all Jo had wanted out of it? Had she thought she was "helping" him? That thought made him just a little angry. He got out of the SUV and took his food stuffs into the house. He drank a bottle of water and then cooked himself some breakfast which consisted of a toast and some oatmeal. Next, he brushed his teeth and went outside. He looked out across the lake at the mountains beyond it. The Catskills were not extremely high, but they were beautiful anyway. He thought he would go on a hike this morning. He was tired of sitting around doing nothing and he wanted to enjoy nature.

As Mac was walking up the trail, he came across four deer. He squatted beside a tree to watch them. There were two females and two fawns. The females suddenly picked their heads up on alert. Mac thought they must smell him. He was not sure if he was downwind or not. However, they all ran away so he went on down the trail. The sun was shining and it took some of the coolness out of the air. The wind was still too so it was not making things colder.

Mac smelled wood smoke and he thought he must be nearing a cabin. He wondered if it was Juanita's cabin. As he got closer, he saw the red jeep so he knew it was her cabin. He wondered what she was doing up here alone. He supposed he was a little old fashioned but he did not recall ever seeing a woman alone in a cabin on a mountain like this. They were pretty far from everything out here. He figured she knew how to take care of herself. He would not get too close to that cabin because she might have a shotgun in there and shoot first and ask questions later.

As Mac passed by the cabin, he thought he smelled bacon cooking. He thought there was nothing in the world that smelled better than bacon cooking. He went on past the cabin and was about to go back into the trail when he heard someone say, "Hey!"

Mac looked around to see Juanita on the porch of the cabin. "Hey," he said.

"You had breakfast?"

"Yes, I have."

"Maybe we can have breakfast together tomorrow morning."

Mac did not think he wanted to get something like that started. "We'll see."

"Hey, you want some coffee?"

"I don't drink coffee anymore."

"I have hot chocolate and orange juice."

Mac thought that sounded good but he was not sure he wanted to go in there. "Maybe tomorrow."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

Mac went on down the trail. He wondered who else was out here in this cold weather. He supposed he could have asked Jo to come with him but he was sure she would not have because she was spending the weekend with her kids.

Mac finally came upon an overlook. He sat down on a big rock and looked out over the view of the mountains and the valley. It was amazing even with the winter. There were plenty of evergreens down there and they were beautiful. Mac had always loved Fir trees and Blue Spruces. He remembered when he was a kid that his father would get a Blue Spruce for a Christmas tree sometimes, especially if it was the biggest one. He smiled at those memories. He was excited when they brought that tree in the house but he did not like the chore of dragging it out after Christmas with the needles falling off and all those splinters. Those trees dried out pretty bad by the time they took them out even though they stayed green.

Mac was glad it was not extremely cold out there but he knew that cold weather would be coming soon. There was an Arctic Blast coming soon. He had heard about it on the news. He sighed at the thought of the fact that he was alone again. Why did he always have to be alone? He wanted to enjoy everything with someone. Why could Jo not understand that? He did not just want her in his bed, he wanted to be with her at other times too. He wanted them to sit in the living room together and watch TV and read the paper and books, talk about what happened during the day and eat together. He could not understand why she did not want that. He supposed she was an independent woman and thought if she got married, she would not be able to do what she wanted anymore. Mac shook his head and looked down at his hands. He felt miserable again. He was giving up on that aspect of life. He was not going through this anymore. Jo had no reason not to trust him. He had never given her any reason to think that he would be demanding or bossy as her husband. He thought maybe he would just become a hermit. He had quite a bit of money saved up for retirement and he could retire now if he wanted. He thought he would go out West and buy a cabin and live there.

"Mac is not answering his phone," Jo said.

"Well, he is on leave," Don replied.

"But this is something he should know about."

"Maybe he'll answer later. Right now, we need to concentrate on finding this woman."

Don and Jo were standing in the hallway of the lab. There had been a murder during the night and when they ran the fingerprints, they found that they belonged to a woman who had killed five other men across the country. She had held them captive and tortured them until they died. The one they had found that morning was no different.

"How did she get away with this?" Jo asked.

"No one could find her," Don replied. "They think she has a place set up to go every time and that she probably changes her appearance right away."

"And what is the name?"

"Well, there were several but the most recent one is Juanita Carrigan."

Jo wrote that down in her notepad. "We need to keep trying to get in touch with Mac," she said. "He would want to know about this."

"I thought he was going somewhere with you," Don remarked.

"Well, he decided he wanted some time alone."

Jo thought about that. She had no idea where Mac was because he had not told her where he was going. She supposed it was none of her business. She had told him that she did not want to discuss what she was doing with anyone and she supposed Mac did not have to tell her what he was doing either. She knew what he had been trying to say now. She wanted to know where he was and what he was doing. It was not like she was trying to control him; she just liked knowing where he was so she could think about where he was. She thought she may have pushed him away too far now.

Mac was on his way back down the trail now. He came near the cabin of Juanita. He felt uneasy around that woman for some reason. He thought maybe it was because of what was going on between himself and Jo. He did not even know this woman. Why would he feel nervous around her?

As Mac was passing by Juanita's cabin, she was sitting outside on the porch reading. She waved to him. "Why don't you have a seat for a while?" she asked and gestured to the other chair beside her.

Mac considered that. He did not really want to. "Come on, I don't bite," Juanita said.

"I have some things I have to do at the cabin," Mac said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay."

Mac walked on, wondering what it was about her that made him nervous. He remembered his cell phone when he neared his cabin. He had not taken it with him on the hike but it was not getting reception out here anyway but he supposed the tracker would be working. He should take that with him when he left the cabin so they could track him if he got lost. He smiled at that thought. He did not intend to get lost; that would not be like a Marine. He went into the cabin and found his phone with "No Service" on the screen. Well, he wanted to be alone so he supposed he was.

Mac took off his denim jacket and hung it on the wall coat rack. He had to get the bed fixed in this place so he could sleep on it tonight. That couch was not so comfortable. He supposed he could work today and then have Saturday and Sunday to do something else. He just hoped Juanita would give up on getting him to spend time with her. He did not want to spend time with anyone…


	7. Chapter 7

Mac finished getting the bed made up. He went into the bathroom and checked on the shower. It was working so he could take a shower later. He usually turned the water off at the source when he was not here. He thought he could lie down and sleep some more now. He had not been getting enough sleep anyway. He lay down on the bed and covered up with a blanket. He had not relaxed like this in…well, it had been too long.

Jo was still upset about Mac not answering his phone. She thought he was just ignoring her but he was not answering when Don called either so he was not just ignoring her; he was either ignoring everyone or he had the phone turned off. Jo decided to go to Mac's apartment but when she got there, she did not get an answer of course. She went to the landlord and asked if he knew when Mac left.

"He left yesterday afternoon," the landlord said.

"Did he say where he was going?" Jo asked.

"No. He just said he would be gone for the weekend."

"Okay. Thanks."

Jo went back outside. So, Mac was gone for the weekend. She frowned as she got into her car. She knew she had hurt him. All he had wanted was for her to say that she wanted something in the future but she was not sure she did. She had never wanted to get married again. She had to admit that she had just wanted to have fun with him and did not want any strings attached. She should have known that Mac was not the kind of man who played around like that. She had thought they could be together without getting married though. She wondered where he would go. He had not even given a hint to anyone.

Jo went back to the lab and met Don Flack in the squad room. "He's gone for the weekend," Jo informed him. "The landlord said he didn't tell him anything about where he was going."

"Well, we'll have to handle this then," Don said. "Mac is not on call anyway."

"Yeah, but I would like for him to know about this."

"Maybe he'll call later and we can tell him then."

Jo did not think Mac would be calling her anytime soon. She figured he was going to avoid her like the plague. He did not give his heart easily or to just anyone and she had tromped on it. He would not trust her again. She was sure of that. What had she done? She had hurt him and she could see that love in his eyes. She had loved him too but when he started talking about marriage…that threw her for a loop. She had not thought he would want to go that far but why did she not know it? She knew he was the marrying kind.

Mac woke up feeling hungry. He threw the blankets back and sat up on the side of the bed. He had brought plenty of stuff to eat. He went into the kitchen and made himself a tomato sandwich. He had learned to love tomato sandwiches when he was in the Marines. He had been bunked with a guy from the South and that guy had loved tomato sandwiches. Mac had tried one and he had been hooked from that point on. The guy had explained to him that the best tomato sandwiches were made from tomatoes straight from the garden but that fresh ones from the store were good too. Never eat one from a tomato that had been kept in cold storage.

Mac got himself a bottle of water and went out onto the porch to eat. It was rather warm for this time of year although there was a little chill in the air. He sat down and took a bite of the sandwich. It was definitely delicious. Mac sat there eating and stared out across the lake and at the woods. He got an eerie feeling that he was being watched. He continued eating and looking out over the lake but he was paying attention to the woods around him. He did not see anything but he had a feeling that someone was out there. He finished his sandwich and went inside. He stood at the window for a moment looking out to see if he could see any movement. However, he did not see anything.

Mac hated the feeling of being watched. He made sure the doors of the cabin were locked and he went to take a shower. Even if he was roughing it, he would still be clean. He wished he could go fishing but it was too cold and the fish would not be biting much. He took a hot shower and got into his underwear and jeans while he was in the bathroom. He came out of the bathroom drying his hair with a towel. He was glad his hair was short enough that he did not have to comb it much. He got the water out of it and ran his fingers through it. He picked up his sweater and started to put it on but then he heard something in the other part of the cabin.

Mac looked through the bedroom doorway but he did not see anything unusual. He put his sweater on and his gun with the shoulder holster. He went into the living area but there was nothing out of place. He went into the kitchen and got himself a soda. When he looked at the front door, he realized it was unlocked. Mac frowned. He knew he had locked that door before he took his shower. He walked over to the door and looked closer. It was definitely unlocked. He opened the door and looked outside but he did not see anything. He had come up here to have time alone and have a little peace, but it was turning into anything but peaceful.

Mac closed the door and locked it again. He would put the bar in place on the doors tonight before he went to bed. He looked out the window as he sipped his soda. He wondered who was out there watching him and who had sneaked into this cabin and why? He would also like to know how they got into it. There was not supposed to be anyone with a key to this cabin but him.

Mac finished his soda and went over to the fireplace. The fire was still burning low and there was a little smoke coming out into the cabin. He thought he probably needed to clean out that chimney before he left this time. It did not need to get stopped up but he did not want to do it right now. After all, he had just had a shower. He went to his duffle bag and got a book out that he had brought with him. He had not had a chance to just sit and read for a long time unless he was reading a report about a crime. He lay down on the couch and pulled a blanket over him. He was reading a Western book. It certainly had been a long time since he had read one of those.

As Mac was reading, he started getting sleepy like he often did when he read even if the book was interesting. It was warm in the cabin and he was relaxed but he got up and put another log on the fire and put the bars in place on the doors. He yawned as he walked back to the couch. He could not believe he was this sleepy and it was just after Noon. He supposed he was relaxed because he was not at that office thinking about a murder. He had to take his gun holster off because it was poking him in the side. He put the gun under the couch though so that it would be within reach.

Just as Mac was about to doze off, someone knocked on his door. He opened his eyes slightly but he did not want to get up. However, the knock came again. Mac groaned slightly as he sat up. He hoped that was not Juanita again. He did not want anything to do with that woman. He put his holster back on and made sure the gun was loose in it and then went to the door. He lifted the bar and opened the door.

"Hi," Juanita said. "I was wondering if you had seen anybody creeping around here."

Mac stared at her a moment. "No, I haven't seen anyone," he said. "Why?"

"Because I thought I saw someone outside my cabin and I heard something in the cabin while I was taking a nap. When I went into the other room, the front door was unlocked. I was sure I locked it before I took a nap."

Mac did not like the sound of that for some reason. "I haven't seen anyone," he said. He had not "seen" anyone. He had thought he heard something but he did not have to admit it to her. He had an eerie feeling about this woman. "You can report it to the forest ranger. They're just over the hill over there."

Juanita looked in the direction Mac was pointing. "Well, I just wanted to let someone know what was happening," she said. "I have the feeling I'm being watched when I'm outside." Juanita folded her arms and looked around them. She looked at Mac. "I'm sorry if I bothered you."

"That's okay."

"See you tomorrow, maybe."

Mac closed the door and watched Juanita walk back to her jeep. He felt like she was trying to get information out of him and he had never seen a woman who would go outside if she thought someone was out there…unless she was a cop. He thought most women would stay inside because they would not want the person to grab them or something. When she was gone, Mac went back to his couch and sat down. He knew something was going on around here but he was not sure what it was. However, he thought Juanita knew all about it.

Mac took the gun and holster off again and lay back down. He hoped nothing interrupted him again until he was ready to wake up. He was soon dozing and did not know anything else until it was getting dark outside. He did not want to sleep on this couch all night so he got up and got his gun from under the couch. He did not think he had ever been this lazy except maybe when he came back from basic training. He had slept a lot after that before he shipped out.

Mac went into the kitchen and fixed himself another sandwich. He checked the doors and put another log on the fire and then went to the bedroom. He sat down on the bed and looked out the window. He was not sure he would sleep very well tonight but he had to try because he was still sleepy. He had to wonder what was going on at the lab. He took his shoes off and changed into a long-sleeved t-shirt and sweat pants and got into bed. He lay there with his hands behind his head and thought about Jo. He thought about the night before and how he had felt. He was not sure how Jo felt anymore but he had totally given his heart to her. He sighed as he thought of that. Why did he give his heart again? Women always just trampled on his heart. Mac turned over on his side. Maybe he should have just accepted Ella…she would have never treated him that way. But that was crazy thinking. She had been obsessed with him, not in love. Those were two different things.

Mac tossed and turned until he fell off the bed. He sat up and blew out a breath. Then he heard something. He reached for his weapon and stared into the other room as he was putting his shoes on. He put his sweater on and then went to the bedroom door. The fire was burning low now. Mac tried to see around the corner of the doorway toward the kitchen but he could not see anyone. Then he heard the back door. He went around the corner aiming his gun that way. There was nothing there but that bar was off the door.

Mac hurried over to the door and looked out the window. He saw someone running toward the woods. He went out the door and after them. "Stop!" he yelled. The person kept running and Mac went into the woods after them. He could not tell whether the person was male or female because it was dark and not only that, they were wearing black. Mac kept running until he could not see them anymore. He realized he was right at Juanita's cabin. He looked down at it and there was a light on inside but he did not see anyone around down there.

Mac did not want to go down there but he figured he should make sure Juanita was okay although he thought she was in this somehow. He looked around him for a moment and watched the cabin. He did not think anyone could have gotten into that cabin that quick unless Juanita let them in or unless it was her running through those woods.

Mac reluctantly turned off the trail and went down to Juanita's cabin and knocked on the door. He wondered what she would think of him coming to her cabin this late at night…unless she was the one who had been in his cabin. He heard the bar slide on the cabin door and Juanita answered the door. She stared at him a moment as though she were surprised to see him. She ran her fingers through her hair. "Mac Taylor," she said. "What brings you here this late?"

"Someone broke into my cabin," Mac said. "I lost them in the woods right out there and I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Yes, I'm fine. That's very thoughtful of you."

"Well, be careful. I don't know where they went."

"You want to come in for a few minutes?"

"No, I'll let you get back to sleep." Mac could not really tell whether she was really sleepy or whether she was pretending but she was dressed in black pajamas. "See you tomorrow."

Mac turned to leave and heard the door close behind him. He did not know why but he had an eerie feeling about that woman. If he could get in touch with Don, maybe he could tell him something about her. He wondered if his cell would work anywhere around here. It certainly would not work at his cabin. He thought maybe he would drive up to the ranger station tomorrow and talk to the rangers. If this woman was a criminal or something, Mac figured they would know.

Mac stepped off the porch of Juanita's cabin and started back to his own cabin. He heard a step behind him and turned to see Juanita swinging a piece of firewood at him. He did not have time to duck but he got his arms up. However, she hit him in the side. Mac fell to the ground trying to get his breath back but he did not have time to think about himself because she was coming at him again. He grabbed the piece of firewood as she swung it at him again. To his surprise, she let go of it and ran to her cabin.

Mac got up and stared toward the cabin. Was she trying to lure him in there? He grimaced and held his side. He thought she had cracked a rib. He turned and headed for his cabin again but then he heard something behind him. He started running toward the trail this time. He could hear footsteps behind him. He wondered what she intended to do to him. He could hear her gaining on him.

Mac tried to run faster and got off the trail to go between trees hoping that would help him get away from her. However, there was a lot of undergrowth in the forest and it was hard to see out there in the dark. Mac found himself tripping over a deadfall and trying to scramble back to his feet. Before he could get up, Juanita was there and she was about to clobber him with a baseball bat this time. Mac rolled over and got to his feet. He grabbed the bat as she tried to hit him with it. He knew he did not want her to hit him with that. It was so cold out there his hands were starting to lose their grip. Juanita jerked the bat from Mac's hands and swung it at him again. He ducked but then she hit him in the left knee.

Mac cried out with pain as he felt the bat make contact with his knee. He hit the ground hard but he rolled over and tried to get to his feet before she could smash his head with the bat…or at least that was what he thought she wanted to do. His knee would not hold him up so he was on his knees although that was not a very comfortable position either. He thought his knee had popped out of joint but he did not have time to think about that because Juanita was coming at him with the bat again. He glared at her and caught the bat as she swung it. He used the momentum of her attack to jerk the bat away from her and flipped her over him so she landed on her back.

Mac got up as quickly as he could and Juanita was already on her feet. She looked at him with a wild look of murder-lust. "Who are you?" Mac asked.

"Your worst nightmare," Juanita answered.

"Why? You don't even know me."

"You're a cop! You were up here waiting for me, weren't you?"

"How could I be? I don't even know who you are!"

Juanita suddenly lunged at Mac and he met her with the bat as he held it in front of him with both hands. He pushed her backward but she was strong. Mac thought she must know Martial arts or something. They were almost face to face. "I'm going to kill you," Juanita snarled.

Mac glared at her. "We'll see about that!"

"I hate men!"  
Mac was beginning to think he did not like women much either but he did not want to kill them. He just would not give his heart to anymore of them. Mac pushed Juanita back again and she fell but she arched her back and landed on her feet in a crouch. Then she pulled a knife out of a sheath on her shin. Mac was surprised at the length and size of that blade. He knew he would be in trouble if she made contact with that. He pulled his weapon from the holster, realizing that he could not stop her any other way. He aimed and pulled the hammer back. "Stop now," he said in a low voice.

Juanita stared into Mac's green eyes seeing his cold resolution. "Fine," she said, but then she suddenly took off running. "Catch me if you can!"

Mac did not get a shot off before she was gone into the trees. He kept his weapon in his hand as he looked around him trying to figure out how he was going to get back to his cabin. He grimaced as he rubbed his side again. He was sure he must have a cracked rib in there. He would have to make his way back to his cabin on his knee but he was not sure he could. He had no way of contacting anyone. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves so he could think.

Mac got a tree limb that was lying on the ground and got himself to his feet. His knee even hurt with that action. He knew he would not be able to walk on that if he did not force himself to. He broke a small limb off the big limb that he was going to use for a crutch and put it between his teeth. He looked toward his cabin. He had to get back there to get the SUV so he could get to help. He tried not to yell out as he took his first step but he kept going. He kept his weapon in his right hand and the crutch in the other. He hoped Juanita would not come after him again. He did not understand her reasons for attacking him. He wanted to know what was going on at that lab in New York.

It took Mac one agonizing hour to get back to his cabin. He was sweating even in this freezing weather. He got over to the SUV and got the door unlocked. When he tried to crank it, it only clicked. Mac stared at the dash a moment and then tried it again. He knew she had him where she wanted him. He had to do something to help himself. He popped the hood and saw that the battery was gone. He slammed the hood as he glared out into the woods. Now he was stuck up here with an injured knee and no transportation. He opened the back door of the SUV and got the rifle he had brought with him and the ammunition. He would just defend himself until he could get some help.

Mac made his way back to his cabin and put the bar back in place. He could not figure out how Juanita got that bar out of place to get into this cabin. He looked at the doors and the bars but he could not see anything that would allow her to raise it. He moved the couch over against the wall so that he could see both doors and sat down. He groaned as pain went through his knee. He hoped he could hold out here until he could get help. He loaded the rifle and made sure his weapon had plenty of ammunition. He would shoot her if she came in this door. He was wounded and he had no choice.


	8. Chapter 8

Jo had been trying to call Mac but of course, she was not getting an answer. She sat at her desk and sighed. What had she done? She had pushed him away and now she might have lost him forever. If he ever came back, she would have to talk to him. About what? Was she going to give in? They did not want the same thing so maybe they should not be together. She could not believe it had come to this, but she should have known it would. She had thought she was in love with Mac…or was she? Yes, she knew she was but that did not mean she wanted to marry him. Why did he have to be so stubborn about that? She had accused him of being afraid, but she was just as afraid as he was. She had known that Mac was not in this just for the pleasure. He wanted a serious, lasting relationship.

Just then, Don Flack came around the corner. "We have a lead on her," he said. "Someone saw a woman fitting her description at a gas station out close to the Catskill Park. She went into the bathroom and came out with dark brown hair instead of blonde. They found clothes in the bathroom and evidence where she had dyed her hair tonight. The cashier said she had seen her yesterday."

"Did they disturb it?" Jo asked.

"We're about to find out. I can't believe no one found all that before tonight."

Jo got Danny and they all headed toward the gas station. When they walked into the bathroom, they could see the hair dye in the sink, on the sink and in the floor. "Well, she certainly didn't care anything about hiding her trail," Jo remarked.

They took samples from the bathroom as well as fingerprints and bagged the clothes. Jo looked in the mirror. "So, where did she go from here?" she wondered out loud.

Don considered that. "What better place to hide than a wilderness?" he asked. "I'll just bet she's out there in the Catskills somewhere."

Jo looked at Don. "Then she could be anywhere."

"Must be someone who has seen that woman up there. We can check with the forest rangers to see if they have any new occupants up there."

"Good idea."

"Still no idea where Mac is?" Don asked.

"No," Jo answered. "He's not answering."

Don wondered why Mac would not be answering Jo. He thought they must have had a disagreement or something. He had thought they were pretty hot and heavy. Then again, Mac had not answered any of his calls either. Maybe Mac just did not want to talk to anyone. Maybe he was out somewhere having a good time.

Danny came over to Don as Jo walked out the door. "What do you suppose happened?" Danny asked.

"I don't know," Don replied. "I hope they get back together but right now we have more important things to think about, like a serial killer."

"Right. Always something about murder."

"That's our life," Don said as they walked out of the bathroom.

Jo and Danny went back to the lab to analyze evidence while Don Flack went to find someone who might have seen that woman. No one had seen what kind of vehicle she was driving. He thought that was strange but it happened a lot and there were no security cameras outside at that gas station.

Don found the ranger station close to the entrance of the Catskill Park. Don walked into the ranger station where there were two rangers on duty. "Hi," Don said. He showed them his badge. "I'm Detective Don Flack. I need to know if you have seen this woman up here," he said as he showed them a picture of Juanita Carrigan.

The rangers looked at the picture. "No, I don't believe I've seen her," one of them said. He looked at Don. "Why?"

"She's a serial killer. She's killed five men and may be after her next victim. You got any new people up there in the mountains?"

The ranger whose name tag read "Vincent" looked at his log. "Yes, we have two new ones up there," he said. "A man who owns one of the cabins and a woman who is renting hers. The man's name is Mac Taylor and the woman is Jennifer Carrigan."

Don stared at him a moment. "Did you say Mac Taylor?" he asked.

Vincent looked at Don. "Yes, that's his name. Why? Do you know him?"

"Is he about five-eight, short brown hair, green eyes, deep voice?"

"Yeah, that sounds like him."

"He's my boss. He's up there?"

"Yes. He checked in yesterday."

Don could not believe it. No wonder Mac had been out of touch. He was "out of touch". He probably could not even get reception up there. "Can you take me to his cabin?" Don asked.

"Sure," Vincent replied. "But that car of yours is not going to make it up there."

"So take me in something that will. I have to let him know what is going on here."

Mac was sitting on the couch trying to stay awake. His knee was swelling and getting more stiff by the minute. He hoped he would make it through this night. He looked toward the kitchen and thought he would drink some coffee if he had any made but he would not want to walk over there to get it and he was not even sure he could. He rubbed his eyes as he tried to relax on the couch. It was dark in the cabin except for the fire but that did not give much light. He was mostly out of the light of the fire. However, he knew if Juanita looked in that window, she would probably be able to see him since her eyes would be accustomed to the dark. He tried not to look at the fire although he could not see it well here where he was anyway.

As the night drew on, Mac felt warm and sleepy. He was trying his best to stay awake but it was hard especially with that throbbing pain in his knee. He knew where those bottles of water he drank during the day were right now too. He did not want to go to the bathroom right now. He had a feeling that Juanita knew what he was doing right now and he was sure she was waiting for her opportunity. He knew that woman had killed before because not only did she know how to fight but he could see it in her eyes. She was definitely a murderer. Mac had seen that look before in several people.

Mac started dozing soon but then he heard something outside. He was fully awake then. He pumped the rifle to get a bullet into the chamber and waited. He heard voices outside and wondered what was happening. He thought one of those voices sounded familiar but he did not know anyone up here.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Mac aimed the rifle at the door. "Who's there?" he yelled.

"Mac! It's me, Don!"

Mac could not believe his ears. "Don!"

"Yeah! Open up!"

Mac could not move his knee now but he managed to get up on his makeshift crutch and get to the door. He lifted the bar and opened the door. He still could hardly believe Don was there. "Don!" he said. "How did you know?"

"Know what?" Don asked. "We've been investigating a murder and hunting this serial killer and I found out that you were up here." He noticed that Mac was propped on a crutch. "What happened?"

"I found your serial killer," Mac said.

Don stared at him a moment. "You mean she attacked you?"

Mac gave him a sarcastic look. "You think I did this to myself? I've been sitting here thinking that she would be coming back. She wanted to kill me. She said she hates men."

"You can believe that."

"Come on in."

Don went in and Mac told him what happened and Don told Mac about the situation. Mac rubbed his face. "My knee is messed up," he said. "I think it is out of place and I can't walk."

Don grimaced at the thought. "Well, you're not alone now," he said. "I'm gonna get those rangers to call the lab and tell them what's going on out here."

"Good."

Don went outside and told one of the rangers to go back and call the lab to let them know what was going on and the other would stay there and help. Don came back in along with Ranger Vincent. He nodded to Mac. "You okay?" he asked.

"No," Mac said. "I couldn't get up there to the station because she took the battery out of the SUV. I didn't know what I would do until you guys showed up."

"You get some rest," Don said. "We'll take this watch."

Mac looked at Don. "Do I look that tired?" he asked.

"Worse."

"Well, I hope you don't mind, but I am going to sleep right here cause I don't want to get up."

"Fine with me." Don looked around the cabin. "Nice." He looked at Mac. "You own this place?"

Mac nodded as he lay down on the couch. He groaned a little as he stretched his legs out. "You need anything?" Don asked.

Mac wished he could go to the bathroom but he did not want to mention it. He supposed he could now that Don was here if he wanted to go through the pain of going in there. "I need to go to the bathroom," he said.

"Where is it?" Don asked, wondering if it was outside.

"It's in there but it looks like a thousand miles."

"Come on. I'll help you get in there."

Don helped Mac up. "Keep an eye out," Don said to Vincent.

Vincent nodded as he was looking out the window. Don helped Mac get to the bathroom. Mac leaned heavily on him and Don thought he would not make it himself. "I can make it from here," Mac said as he went into the bathroom.

Don stood outside the bathroom hoping he did not hear Mac fall down in there. Mac soon opened the door. Don thought he looked awful tired. "Why don't you sleep here in this bed and Vincent in there and I will keep watch?" Don asked.

Mac was in no mood to argue. He nodded. Don helped him get over to the bed and Mac was asleep before Don left the room. Don wanted that backup to get here so they could go down to the next cabin and see if that woman was there. He figured she would have gone by now because she must know that she would be captured if she just hung around here.

It was two hours before Jo, Danny and two more officers arrived along with the sheriff of the county they were in. "Mac said she is staying in the next cabin down there," Don informed them. "She was driving a red jeep."

"Where is Mac?" Jo asked.

"He's resting. He was injured."

"Injured? Is he alright?"

"His knee is messed up."

Jo went into the cabin and found the bedroom. She stared at Mac lying there asleep for a moment. She walked over to the bed and touched his face. Mac was startled out of his sleep. He grabbed her hand thinking she was Juanita. "Mac, it's me!" Jo said.

Mac stared at her a moment and then let go of her wrist. "I'm sorry," he said. "I thought…" He looked puzzled. "When did you get here?"

"Just now," Jo said and rubbed her wrist.

Mac looked at it. "Did I hurt you?" he asked.

"No. It will be fine." Jo paused a moment. "Are you okay?"

Mac nodded. "Just my knee," he said. He shook his head. "It's really messed up."

Don came to the doorway. "They're going down there to check out that cabin," he said. "I'm going to stay here with you guys."

"Good," Mac said.

Don went back into the living area. He hoped nothing happened but he was ready if it did…

Jo looked at Mac. "I didn't know you were up here," she said.

"I didn't want anyone to know I was up here," Mac replied.

"I didn't know you owned a cabin up here either."

"I come up here once in a while."

"I think I would like to stay here with you…" Jo thought of what she was saying. She looked at Mac. "We need to talk about some things."

Mac looked down. "I don't think there's anything to talk about," he said. "We don't want the same thing." He looked at her. "I want more than sex."

"Mac, can't we just take our time and forget all that for a while? Can't we just go places together and let things happen as they will?"

Mac sighed. "Well, I suppose we can start over and just let it go the way it will."

"I suppose we can."

Mac looked at her. "Jo, don't you realize that marriage is something that is supposed to make the two people happy. It's not for just the one person, it's for both. You have to give and take. One person can't do all the giving or they won't be happy. It has to go both ways."

"But it hardly ever turns out that way, Mac."

"Yes, it does, Jo. Both people have to work at it and they have to want it to work out. You can't go into marriage thinking it's going to end in disaster or it will." Mac reached for her hand. "You're an optimistic person. You try to make everybody feel better and you're a great mother. Why do you feel this way about me?"

"Most men just want sex."

"Well, you keep forgetting that you're the one who started this in the elevator that day, remember?"

"I guess I did."

"You guess?"

"Okay, so I started it. The thing is that we are at a crossroads I guess."

"We are and we have to figure out which direction we're going. Are we going together or are we parting here?"

Jo frowned. "Oh, Mac, I don't want to think about being without you," she said.

"You don't have to be, and I don't want you to think I'm pressuring you, but I just want to know what you think our future is together. We're both adults. We should be able to talk about this together."

Jo thought a moment and then looked at Mac. "I think if any man could make me want to be married again, it would be you," she said. "Because I love you, I truly do."

"And I love you," Mac replied. "That makes it right, doesn't it?"

Jo looked into Mac's eyes and saw that sweet, compassionate look there. "It's right," she said. "I just have to get over my hang-ups. I've pulled you out of yours and now I have to get over mine. It's only fair, right?"

Mac smiled. "I'll give you time," he said.

"Without the hot, steamy sex?"

Mac shook his head. "I think that would complicate things."

"It certainly stirs up emotions."

"Let's just take it easy and try to let our relationship grow."

"I can deal with that."

Mac smiled. "I think we can both deal with it. We're both adults and we should be able to figure out what we want in life."

Don was looking out the front door of the cabin and he thought he saw something out at the SUV. He went out the door to get a closer look…

Mac and Jo both jumped when they heard a gunshot. Mac sat up and got his weapon from the holster. Jo drew her weapon as well. "Be careful," Mac said.

Jo crept to the door of the bedroom. "Don," she said. She listened but did not hear anything. She went out the door of the bedroom and looked toward the front door, which was open. She made her way slowly to the front door and looked out.

Don was lying on the ground outside the door. Jo gasped when she saw him. "Don," she whispered.

Don did not move or answer. Jo wanted to get out there and check on him but she knew that woman had to be out there somewhere…

Danny and the officers with him were at Juanita's cabin when they heard a faint shot. "You hear that?" Danny asked. "That sounded like it came from Mac's cabin."

"Could have," Ranger Vincent said.

Danny could see that no one was there at Juanita's cabin. The red jeep was gone as well. "We better go back there and find out what's going on."

Jo was standing beside the front door now looking at Don. She could see that he was breathing but that he had a gash in the side of his head where a bullet had apparently grazed his head. She knew he must be out cold. "Jo!" Mac whispered. "What's going on?"

"I'm okay," Jo whispered. "Don is down."

Mac wanted to go in there and help, but he would not be much help with his knee like it was. He listened hard trying to hear what was going on.

Jo strained her eyes to see into the dark outside. There were no outside lights so there was nothing but the moon and stars for light out there. Just then, she thought she saw a flicker of movement out near the SUV. "Hold it!" she called.

The person just kept on going of course. Jo squatted and reached for Don's neck to check his pulse. She could feel it just fine but she could see where the bullet had furrowed its way around the side of his head. Then she went out the door and got over to the side of the cabin to try and get a better view of the area.

Mac listened but he did not hear anything. "Jo!" he whispered but he did not get an answer that time. He was trying to figure out how to get into the living area but he knew he would be no good to Jo in this condition. He did not want anything to happen to her.

Just then, Mac saw Jo outside the window. She nodded to him that she was okay. Mac kept his weapon ready. Then he heard something else and realized it was Danny and the others coming back as he saw flashing lights. "What happened?" Danny exclaimed as he got to the porch and saw Don.

"I don't know," Jo replied. "She was out here somewhere and got the jump on him I guess."

"We have to get him to a hospital."

They got Don and Mac into the rangers' SUV and then headed toward the station. Mac was very uncomfortable sitting in the back seat but he was glad he was getting out of there. He looked at Don who was lying over on the seat still unconscious. The road they were on was not exactly smooth. Mac groaned every time they went over a bump because it felt like they were going over his knee.

Soon they arrived at the ranger station where an ambulance was already waiting. Mac hated the thought of them moving him again but it was the only way. They got Mac and Don into the ambulance and headed for the hospital. Mac was carried to an emergency room and Don was taken to critical care. Jo went with Mac and sat beside his bed as a nurse started an IV in his arm. She gave Mac a hospital gown and told him to put it on and then closed the door as she left.

"I hate this," Mac said.

"I'll wait out there," Jo replied and left the room.

Mac took his shirt, sweater and t-shirt off and put the hospital gown on. He shivered. "I guess they want to freeze me while I wait," he said to himself. It did not feel good at all when he pulled the pants off over his sore knee. He knew he was going to have a long recovery with this.

He let Jo know that she could come back in. "That wasn't pleasant," he said.

Jo stared at his knee. "It sure is swollen," she said.

"Don't touch it. I just hope I can stand for them to touch it."

"And she hit it with a baseball bat?"

"Yes."

"I can't believe you walked all the way back to your cabin on that."

"I had to. I didn't have any way to get any help."

"I'm surprised she didn't follow you and kill you while you were on your way."

Mac considered that. "I was too. I don't feel too good about her still being out there."

"You think she will come after you?"

"I don't know." Mac looked at Jo. "That look in her eyes…I've seen it before. It's a lust for murder and she wanted to kill me."

"So you don't think she will be satisfied until she gets you."

"I don't know."

"I just hope your knee will be okay."

Mac looked at his knee and sighed. "It's going to be a long time," he said.

"I'll take care of you," Jo declared. "I'll stay with you until you can get around."

"What about Ellie?"

"She can stay too."

"Jo, you don't have to do that."

"Then you can stay with me. I don't want you to stay alone. I have an extra bedroom."

"Well, I think I'm going to be in the hospital for a day at least."

"And then you will be under my care."

"I'm sure I'll be well taken care of."

"You can count on that."

Soon, the nurses came to get Mac and take him to x-ray. Jo went to find out how Don was while Mac was gone. Don had a severe concussion and had not woken up yet. Mac thought they would kill him trying to x-ray that knee. The x-rays only proved what he already knew. His knee was dislocated. Of course there were torn ligaments. Next, he was taken back to the ER where a doctor soon came in and informed him that they would put his knee back in place. "We'll give you a sedative," the doctor said. "Since there is no cartilage broken off, you won't need surgery. It should heal in time. And you are not to be on this knee at all for at least a week."

The doctor gave Mac a sedative and he was soon relaxed. He did not hear the sickening pop when they put his knee back into place. Jo was standing at the door. She thought she would be sick but she thought she had been to too many crime scenes to get sick over something like this. However, her stomach did not care how many crime scenes she had been to. She stepped outside the door and fanned her face.

A nurse soon came out and told Jo that she could go in. "He'll be asleep for a while," she said.

"How is his knee?" Jo asked.

"It is going to be 'very' sore when he wakes up. We will put him in a room and keep him here for a day or two."

"Thanks."

Jo went into the room where another nurse was adjusting Mac's IV. The doctor was writing on a clipboard. "Are you his wife?" the doctor asked.

Jo was surprised by that question. "No," she replied. "I'm his girlfriend."

"He'll be going to a room soon."

"Thanks."

Jo sat in a chair while the nurse finished up. She watched Mac sleep. He looked so relaxed, he was making her sleepy. Just then, Danny walked in the door. "How is he?" he asked quietly.

"He's going to be fine," Jo said. "But he is going to be down for quite a while."

"Flack is lucky. The bullet grazed the side of his head but didn't cause any bleeding inside the skull."

"Thank God for that."

"Maybe they will put them both in the same room."

Jo smiled. "I don't think Mac could stand that," she said jokingly.

Danny looked at Mac. "I don't think he would know it."

"He's going to need a lot of help when he gets out of here." Jo folded her arms. "What are we going to do at that lab?"

"We'll handle it till he gets back. He can't always be there."

"I know."


	9. Chapter 9

Mac got out of the hospital after two days. He was on crutches of course. He thought that doctor did not have to worry about him walking on that knee. He could not walk on it if he wanted to with the pain that was in it now. "I can sit in my office during the day," he said.

"Well, at least I will know where you are," Jo replied.

Mac looked at her. "You can drop me off at my apartment, Jo."

"You know I'm not going to do that. You're going to stay with me until you can get around better. That's the end of that."

Jo drove to her apartment and helped Mac get out of the car. They went inside and Mac sat down on the sofa. "You should get into bed," Jo said. "I have your room all fixed. You have a TV and everything in there."

"Thanks but I don't want in the bed," Mac replied. "I have been in the bed for two days."

Jo gave him a pen and notepad. "Write down everything you want me to bring from your apartment."

Mac looked at the notepad and then at Jo. "Well, you can't go home to get dressed every morning," Jo pointed out.

Mac nodded and started writing. He felt like he was being pushed again but he knew she was right. He could not handle everything on his own.

When Mac had the list done, Jo left to get the stuff he had written down. Mac looked at the bottle of water she had left on the table for him and his bottle of pain medication. He figured he would be on that for a long time. He got in agony before it was time for it again.

Mac looked at the crutches. He thought he wanted to go and lie down so he got up and made his way to the bedroom and got into bed. He thought he must have gotten lazy while he was in the hospital, but one could not really rest when they were in the hospital because the nurses were coming in all during the day and night and it was hard to rest.

Jo got all the stuff on the list and then went back to her apartment. She found Mac sleeping when she went into the bedroom. She hung his clothes in his closet and put his other stuff in the bathroom. Then she went to fix lunch. She stood in front of the stove for a moment wondering if she wanted to just order a pizza. She grabbed the phone. Why not? Pizza was good especially after someone had been in the hospital.

Mac did not wake up before the pizza arrived. Jo took the pizza into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. "Mac, wake up," she said.

Mac was startled but he realized it was Jo. "I ordered us a pizza," Jo said.

"Great," Mac replied. "I'm starved."

"After this, I'm going in to the office for a while. If you need anything, you can call me."

Mac took a bite of the pizza. "I'm sure I'll be fine after this."

When they were done with that, Mac lay back down. Jo crawled over to him and leaned over him. She stared into his eyes for a moment and then kissed him. "I'll be back later," she said.

"Thanks for helping me," Mac said.

Jo touched his face. "It's my pleasure."

Jo got off the bed and put her jacket on. She brought a bottle of water and the pain medication and set it on the table beside the bed. "Do you want anything else in here?" she asked.

"My book," Mac replied. "I was reading a book while I was at the cabin and I would like to read some more of it. It was in my duffle bag."

"Okay." Jo went into the living room and soon came back with the duffle bag. "Got it." She found the book and gave it to Mac. "Anything else? Maybe something to snack on? I have some chips in here or some yogurt, apples, bananas."

"I'll take an apple."

"Okay." Jo got an apple and brought it in there. "Anything else?"

"No, this should do fine."

"Okay. Well, Ellie will be home by four. I told her that you will be here and she will probably come in here and check on you."

"That's fine."

"See you later."

Mac relaxed on the bed as he heard Jo close the front door. Then everything was silent. He wished there was some sort of noise in the apartment but there was nothing and he did not want the TV on at the time but he thought he heard something next door. He listened a moment but he could not determine what he was hearing. It was kinda like a knocking sound that had a constant rhythm. Mac opened his book and began reading. He soon forgot about the sound and was concentrating on his book.

Mac was awakened later by someone knocking on the door. He did not think Ellie would be knocking on the door. He looked at his watch and it was not even time for Ellie so he just dozed back off. Jo was not there and he was not going to open the door for anyone.

The next thing Mac knew, he was having pain in his knee and he heard someone coming in the front door. He figured that was Ellie. He got his bottle of pain medicine and took one of them. He looked at his watch and it was a little after three. Jo had said Ellie would be here around 4. He looked for his weapon which was also lying on the table. He slid it from the holster and waited to see what would happen. There was definitely someone in the apartment because he could hear them in the kitchen. He was pretty sure it was Ellie because he knew kids always raided the kitchen when they came home from school.

Soon, Mac heard a knock at the bedroom door. "Detective Taylor," Ellie said. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm fine. Thanks," Mac answered.

"Okay. If you need anything, just tell me. I'll be in here watching TV."

"Okay."

Mac put his weapon away. He thought Ellie must have run home instead of walk. He felt uncomfortable being here like this. He really wanted to be home and Jo could just come by and see about him but she had insisted that he was going to stay here. He did not see the difference in him staying here alone during the day than staying at his own apartment during the day. However, he supposed Jo wanted him here during the night so that she could be here with Ellie and would not have to worry about him.

Jo came home at about 6:00. "Hi, Mom," Ellie said.

"Hi," Jo replied. "How was school today?"

"Fine."

"Did you check on Mac?"

"Yes. He said he was fine."

"Good. Thank you for watching after him."

Jo went into her room and dropped her purse on the dresser and took off her jewelry and got into a t-shirt and sweat pants. She went to the other bedroom and found Mac sleeping. She shoved the door closed which startled Mac. "Have you been sleeping all day?" Jo asked.

Mac rubbed his eyes. "Most of it, I think," he said.

"Well, I am going to fix a dinner that will make you want to get out of that bed."

"I hope so. I'm tired of lying here." Mac sat up. "I think that pain medicine just knocks me out."

"Probably does."

Mac noticed Jo was wearing sandals. "You wear sandals in the winter?" he asked.

"They're comfortable and they keep my feet off the floor and it is not cold in this apartment. You going to the kitchen now?"

"Sure," Mac said. He looked at his knee. "I'll be glad when I can walk again."

"Me too."

Jo gave Mac his crutches and he got up. "I think I better make a trip to the bathroom before I go in there," Mac said.

"Holler if you need me," Jo said and went on to the kitchen.

When Mac was done in the bathroom, he went into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "Prop that leg up," Jo said.

"Yes, Ma'am," Mac replied and put his foot up in another chair. "So, what's going on at the office?"

"I brought a whole bunch of papers for you to sign that will keep you busy all night tonight and all day tomorrow too."

"Oh, great," Mac said sarcastically. "I needed something to do while I wander in and out of sleep."

"Is that medicine that bad?"

"Yes. It keeps me asleep a lot of the time."

"Well, how did your book go?"

"I don't think I read much of it. I have been very lazy today."

"You are far from lazy."

Mac looked at what Jo was doing. "What are you fixing?" he asked.

"A wonderful stew. I guarantee you will love it."

"I'm sure I will."

By the time the stew started cooking, Mac knew how hungry he was. "That smells so good," he commented as his stomach was growling.

"It will be ready soon."

Jo sat down at the table across from Mac. "Wouldn't you like for us to be doing this every night?" she asked.

Mac looked at her. "I believe that's what I said," he pointed out.

Jo looked down at the table. "Yes, you did. I've been thinking about this a lot today."

"And?"

"I want to keep an open mind. I don't want to just reject marriage because I know some people get married and it's wonderful and rewarding and they live happily ever after."

Mac nodded. He knew he and Claire would have, but that was another life. "Both people have to want it to work and they both have to be willing to work on it," he said.

"Yes, I know. I don't want you to think that I'm a stubborn, uncompromising person."

"I don't. I think you've been hurt and you just don't want that again. I don't want it again either."

"I know. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way."

"I'm sorry if you thought I was pushing you."

Just then, Ellie walked into the kitchen. "Mom, when is that stew going to be ready?" she asked.

"Soon," Jo replied.

"I'm starving."

"Why don't you go take your shower and then by that time, it will probably be done."

"Okay."

Mac looked at Jo. "Do you really think she's going to want me for a dad?" he asked.

"I'm sure she will," Jo replied.

"I know it will take time but I think we can work all this out."

"I do too and I want to work it out."

When the stew was ready, they ate dinner and then went into the living room. Just as they sat down, someone knocked on the door and then they heard someone unlocking the door. "That must be Tyler," Jo said.

Mac watched as Jo went to the door and hugged Tyler. He had to admit that Tyler favored his father, but he favored Jo too. "Tyler, this is Mac Taylor," Jo said as they came over to the couch.

"Nice to meet you," Tyler said.

"You too," Mac replied. "How is school?"

"Fine." Tyler looked at Mac's leg which was propped up on a foot rest. "What happened?"

"Well, it's a long story, but I got hit in the knee with a baseball bat."

"A baseball bat?" Tyler asked, his interest peaked. "Who hit you?"

"A murderer. She was trying to capture me and make me her next victim."

"A woman?"

"Yes."

"Not many women who do that, huh?"

"No but this woman is different I guess."

"Did you catch her?"

"No, she's still at large."

"Wow, and she's killing men or just anybody?"

"All of her victims have been men," Jo said. "Don't bother Mac with all those details."

"Sorry, but I read about her in the paper," Tyler said.

They sat and talked for a while and then Jo went with Ellie to tuck her into bed. Tyler looked at Mac. "So, are you going to marry my mother?" he asked.

Mac thought of how he wanted to answer that. "I hope it comes to that," he said.

"So, you don't know?"

Mac looked at him. "Well, we haven't gotten that far yet."

"You've been sleeping with her though, haven't you? Ellie told me you were here all night."

Mac stared at him a moment. "I don't think that's any of your business. That's between me and her and I was here all night because I fell asleep on this couch."

"I'm her son. You better not take advantage of my mother."

"I'm not taking advantage of her."

"What are you doing here now?"

"I asked him to stay." Mac and Tyler looked to see Jo standing with her arms folded. "You just stay out of my relationships, young man," she said.

"I just don't want him using you, Mother."

"He's not using me. As a matter of fact, I asked him out first."

Tyler looked at Mac and folded his arms. Mac thought he looked an awful lot like Jo then. He wondered what he was thinking. Mac just stared at him a moment. He knew how protective boys were of their mother. He had been protective of his own mother too.

Jo came over to the couch and sat down. "I'm a grown woman," she said. "I don't need you to protect me, Tyler." She kissed him on the head. "Although, I appreciate your love for me."

"I don't want you to get hurt again, Mother," Tyler said.

"I know that, but this time is different."

"I hope so."

"And besides, Mac is injured and I'm taking care of him until he gets better and able to take care of himself again."

Tyler nodded and looked at Mac. "I'm sorry," he said.

"That's okay," Mac replied. "I'll be very careful."

Mac took his pain medication again and was soon sleepy. "I think I want to turn in," he said.

Jo got his crutches for him and they went into the bedroom. Jo turned the covers back on the bed. Mac sat down on the bed. "You need any help?" Jo asked.

"No, I can manage pretty well," Mac said.

"How about some pajamas?"

Mac nodded as he took off his sweatshirt. Jo brought his pajamas and took his shoes off. "I hate for you to have to do that," Mac said.

"Don't worry about it," Jo replied. "You can't bend over here and take them off."

"Thanks."

Jo stood up and kissed him. "If you need any help, just call me on the cell phone." She smiled. "I guess we don't have to yell from one room to the other anymore."

"I guess not. I remember those days."

Jo went on to her room. Mac finally got into his pajamas and got into bed. He groaned as a pain went through his knee that made him want to grit his teeth. He got settled down and got his book to read a while. He hoped he could get some rest but at the moment he felt wide awake. He supposed that pain medicine would kick in again soon and he would not remember what he read.

Jo felt like she had not been asleep at all when the alarm came on the next morning. She got up and got a shower and got dressed and then went to Mac's room. She knocked lightly and did not hear anything. She opened the door slightly and Mac was still sleeping. She walked over to the bed and watched him a moment. "Mac," she whispered.

Mac jumped slightly and opened his eyes. "Wake up," Jo said with a smile.

"Is it morning already?" Mac asked.

"Yes."

Mac rubbed his face. "I think I slept all night."

"I don't think I slept much, but I had a lot on my mind."

Mac yawned and sat up. "Are you going to work today?" Jo asked.

Mac nodded. "I can sit at my desk just as good as I can sit in this apartment."

"Well, I have to get Ellie off to school."

Mac yawned as he sat up. "I need a shower," he said.

Jo looked at him. "Can you do that?"

"I have to do something."

"Just be careful."

"I will."

Jo left the room and went about her business. Mac was not sure how he would get a shower. He supposed he could sponge bathe right now. He grabbed his crutches and made his way into the bathroom. He thought he needed a stool to sit on. Just then, he heard a knock at his door.

He went back into the bedroom. "Come in."

Jo came in. "Don't fall down in that bathroom," she said. "Do you need anything that could make it easier?"

"Do you have a stool I can sit on?" Mac asked.

"Sure. Be right back."

Mac looked in the mirror as he went back into the bathroom. He thought he looked like he had been awake all night. He needed a shave too. Jo soon came back with the stool. "You want me to help with your shaving?" Jo asked.

Mac smiled. "Nah, I think I can handle it."

"Hey, I can give a close shave." Jo put her arms around him and kissed him.

"I'm sure you can." Mac looked at her. "Don't worry about me. I'll be alright."

"Okay."

Jo went back to the kitchen, and Mac looked in the mirror again. "Well, Taylor, you definitely need to do something," he said to himself as he rubbed his stubble.


	10. Chapter 10

Mac and Jo arrived at the lab to find that Danny and Lindsey were already there. "Morning, Mac," Danny said, much like he did every morning.

"How's Flack doing?" Mac asked.

"He's awake and talking. Just as annoying as he ever was."

"No memory loss?"

"Not that I can tell. He told what happened out there at that cabin. He had heard a sound outside and went out to see what was going on and she shot him. He was lucky he saw a flicker and moved sideways or he would be down yonder with Sid right now."

"Any leads on that woman?"

"Nothing. It's like she dropped off the face of the earth except for that jeep of hers. It was found abandoned out there in the wilderness. We don't know if she got a ride with someone or what."

"I'm sure she's around somewhere."

"I thought you were supposed to stay out of work for a week."

"No, I have to stay off my knee for a week. I can sit in there as good as I can sit at home. I'll do all that paperwork while I'm here. I would rather be here around people than at home in the silence."

"I don't blame you," Lindsey said.

Mac went on down to his office. Jo looked at Danny and Lindsey. "I think that woman will come after him," she said. "He was her intended victim and she might even try to finish the job on Flack."

"We have a guard outside his room," Danny said.

"I'm glad Mac is here instead of being alone because I'm worried about this."

Mac sat down at his desk and grimaced as pain went through his knee. Jo came to the door. "You need a prop for that knee," she said. "I'll bring something."

Mac watched Jo walk down the hall toward her office. He blew out a breath. He supposed his plan for them to get better acquainted would maybe work out, but he thought he would just stay at his own apartment tonight, although he knew Jo would not want him to. He just did not like staying at her place like that. He wondered if Juanita Carrigan, or whatever her name was, would come after him. She did not even know him. How would she know where he was? Then again, she had known he was a cop. He was not sure how she knew that but he thought she might have learned it somehow when she got into the cabin and he did not know how she did that either. He thought she must have had a key or something but that did not explain how she got that bar up.

Jo came back to Mac's office with a foot stool. "This should help," she said.

"We'll see," Mac replied as they tried to find a comfortable position for his leg to be propped up while he was sitting there.

"See? If you were at the apartment, you wouldn't be uncomfortable like that."

"I don't want to sit at the apartment. This is just fine."

Mac opened his first folder to work on paperwork. "I have to get busy," he said. "I am behind."

"Let me know if you need anything…text, email, phone."

Mac looked at her as she smiled at him over her shoulder. "Okay," he said.

Jo went to the door and then turned and looked at him. "I enjoyed having you there last night that last night."

Mac smiled. "I was glad to be there too," he replied. "But I think I want to stay at my place tonight."

"Why? I would just worry about you."

"You can tuck me in if you want but I just want to stay at home. I can get around okay with the crutches."

"If you insist but I don't want you having to do too much. You need to take it easy and let that heal."

"I will. I have to get busy."

"Yes, and I do too. Talk to you later."

Mac got busy on his paperwork. Whether they had any cases or not, there was paperwork. However, they got a call later but Mac had to stay in the office, of course. He hoped they would at least let him know what was going on. He looked out of the office at all the lab technicians walking around. He realized that he hardly knew any of them besides his team that he worked with all the time.

Just then, Mac saw Adam coming toward the office. Mac wondered what he was coming to tell him. He waved him in before he knocked. "Hey, Boss, just wondering if you need anything," Adam said.

"No, I'm fine," Mac said. "Although, I guess I could use a bottle of water."

"Coming right up."

Mac continued his paperwork and soon, Adam came with the bottle of water. "Thanks, Adam," Mac said.

"You're welcome," Adam replied. "Anything else you need?"

"No, this is fine."

When the others came back from the crime scene, Mac was still working on paperwork. Jo came straight to his office. "Mac, she's in this city," she informed him.

"Who?" Mac asked.

"You know who."

"Juanita?"

"Yes." Jo gave him the notes she made about the crime scene. "This is the same person."

Mac stared at it a moment. "A male victim, looks like he's been tortured." He looked at Jo. "You think she's toying with us?"

"Daring us to try and get her?"

"And you think she'll come after me?"

"Who knows, Mac?"

"She may have picked up this victim where she abandoned her jeep. She came down to my cabin and got me up there to pull that jeep out of the ditch. Then she tried to get me to come and have dinner with her and breakfast. She tried to get me to sit on the porch with her and go hiking with her." Mac looked at Jo. "I knew there was something wrong with that cause she was up there alone at that cabin."

"Those detective instincts. You better be glad you have them."

"I wasn't interested anyway. I had not given up on you."

"That's good to know."

"Just get that evidence processed and make sure it's the same person and not a copycat."

"Sure." Jo paused a moment. "Are you comfortable?"

"I'm okay."

"Good."

Mac watched Jo go back to the lab and then he thought of that murderer. He knew he had been her intended victim and now she had taken another victim. He wished he could get in on that case but he could not. He could not even stand in the lab to analyze any evidence. He blew out a breath as he went back to his paperwork.

By that evening, they were sure it was not a copycat killer. They had found Juanita Carrigan's fingerprints in the motel room where the victim was murdered and they had determined that he had sex with her as well. Apparently, she had cuffed him to the bed and then afterward, she began torturing him. Mac looked through the file as he was still sitting at his desk. He felt sorry for the poor guy. From what Mac could tell from the evidence that Sid had given them, the guy had endured a lot of pain and finally she had cut his carotid artery and made him bleed to death while she watched. Mac figured that was what she intended to do to him. That was what she did to every one of her victims. She had tried to capture him by crippling him. Mac wondered what she had been through in life to make her hate men like that. He sent a message to Adam to tell him to check out Juanita Carrigan's background.

_Will do, Boss, _Adam typed.

Mac grimaced as a pain went through his knee. He knew it was time for that pain medicine again. He had the bottle with him so he took one of them with the bottle of water he had. He would be going home soon. He could not stay here all night. Being injured made one even more tired. He wanted to go home tonight but he was sure Jo would be worried sick if he was at that apartment alone and he was not sure he would be so comfortable there alone either now. He had told her he wanted to stay home tonight but he thought he might just stay with her. After all, he could not walk at all and if something happened, he could not move fast enough to evade someone. He would be vulnerable. He supposed he would have to accept Jo's hospitality for now.

At around 6:00, Jo came to Mac's office. "You ready to go?" she asked.

"I suppose I am," Mac replied.

Mac did not think it had done him any good to sit there all day when he got up. "I don't think I need to sit all day anymore," he said.

"Well, you got up a few times," Jo said.

"I know, but I sat there most of the time."

"Come on. I'll fix us a good supper."

They went to the elevator and went down to the parking garage. Just as Jo was about to get into the car, Mac saw a flicker of movement behind her at the next car. Then he saw blond hair flying. "JO!" Mac yelled, but it was too late.

Juanita was there and she hit Jo on the back of the head. Mac knew she was coming for him next. He wanted to keep the car between him and her but she was moving around the back of the car. Mac turned to try and go toward the front of the car. There was no one else in the garage at the moment so no one was seeing what was going on. Mac wondered how she got in there…for a second, but he did not have time to think about that.

As Mac got around to the front of the car, Juanita was coming around the side. Mac looked to see if Jo was okay when he got to the other side. She was lying on the ground. "Jo!" Mac said. "JO!"

Mac glared at Juanita and decided he would have to take care of this situation himself as she got around to the front of the car. She stared at him with a haughty look. "You can't get away from me again," she said.

"You're about to find out that you're not as invincible as you think you are," Mac said quietly.

"I think you're the one who is about to find that out. Your little bunch of body guards aren't here now."

Mac was getting a good grip on his right crutch and shifting his weight so he would be ready to get her when she got close enough. "Well, if you're so sure of yourself, why don't you come and get me?" he asked.

Juanita looked into Mac's eyes but she did not see any fear. Instead she saw someone who was ready to fight. She knew what she had done to his knee and he was on crutches. What did he possibly think he would do?

As Mac was waiting for Juanita to make her move, he noticed that Jo was stirring. He was close to her head. He nudged her lightly with the crutch…

Jo opened her eyes and was disoriented for a moment. She felt Mac nudge her but it took her a moment to remember what was going on. She heard Mac talking to someone and she realized it was Juanita Carrigan. Jo looked up at Mac who was staring at someone with that "Mac Taylor" look. Jo looked under the car and saw Juanita's feet as she was coming around the car. She slid her hand into her purse and got her hand on her weapon. She aimed the weapon under the car and fired at Juanita's foot.

Juanita screamed as the bullet hit her in the ankle and she collapsed on the floor of the parking garage. Jo knew Mac could not move fast so she was on her feet in a moment and went around the car to see Juanita pulling out a weapon. "Drop it!" Jo demanded.

Juanita glared at her and tried to raise her weapon but she never finished that movement because Jo's bullet hit the bull's eye and Juanita fell back. Jo walked over to her and kicked the weapon away from her. Then she looked at Mac. "You alright?" she asked.

Mac blew out a breath. "I am now," he said. "For a minute there, I thought I was going to have to fight her."

Jo rubbed the back of her head. "Ouch," she said. She felt of Juanita's neck but there was no pulse. "Well, she won't come after you again…or anyone else for that matter."

Mac came around the car and looked at Juanita's lifeless form. "I guess we'll never know why she was doing all that," he remarked.

"I'm just glad it's over."

Mac called for Flack and soon, he was there along with some other officers and the ME. "She attacked you here in the garage?" Don asked.

"Yes," Mac replied.

"How did she get in here?"

"I don't know but at least it's over."

"Yeah. I guess we can lay this case to rest."

Mac looked at Juanita's body. "Along with the murderer," he said.


End file.
